


Alphas and Omegas

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, F/M, Friendship, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-17
Updated: 2011-10-17
Packaged: 2017-10-24 17:42:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 28,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/266154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It kept them friends, and it kept them honest.  Everyone needed that kind of person in their lives.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Alphas and Omegas

**Author's Note:**

> This story has been on my mind in one form or another since April 2010. Now I have the perfect excuse to write it. As usual, all characters have been on Criminal Minds sometime in the last 6 seasons. Jimmy Palmer’s back though, and this still isn’t NCIS. Changes were made to American University to fit the parameters of my story. Sigma Sigma Sigma isn’t an active sorority there and as far as I know there is no Greek Row. Days and dates have been finagled to fit where I need them and so has certain music. Thanks to secondheartbeat and runriggers for the beta.

  
**SEPTEMBER, 2006**   


Alpha Sigma Phi was hopping, it always was. It was the most popular frat at American University and this drizzly night in September proved it. At the front door there was a pledge dressed like a butler. He had a sticker on his tux jacket that said ‘Hi, my name is Allentown’. He took Emily Prentiss’ black leather jacket, handing her a slip of paper with a number on it. She put it in her back pocket before walking into the thick of the party.

The huge living room was packed with people; they all danced to the beats of Blondie. There was no way she was ever going to find Derek in this crowd. When she turned around, she saw her friends had disappeared as well. Great. Sighing, Emily made her way over to the DJ table. There was a cute Native American guy with a ponytail working the turntable.

“Hi.” Emily said.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“Is there any way for a girl to get Derek Morgan’s attention?”

“I think the better question is is there any way for a girl not to get Derek Morgan’s attention.”

“I know what you mean.” Smiling, Emily brushed one of her raven locks behind her ear.

As the song wound down, the kid tapped the microphone.

“Paging, Derek Morgan. There’s a smokin hot girl…”

He barely got the rest of the sentence out before Morgan was at the DJ table. His winning smile was his companion as always.

“Hey, Prentiss.”

“I'm here.” She said.

“All alone?”

“You told me to bring my girls and I did. I honestly don’t know how but I lost them in ten minutes. I guess this is that kind of party.”

“It really is. I gotta say you're looking good tonight. Damn girl.”

Morgan whistled and Emily smiled. She wore a denim mini-skirt, black motorcycle boots, and a red tank top. It was too bad they were just friends…she was a sexy girl with a hell of a pair of legs. Having them wrapped around any part of his body would be A-OK with Derek.

“Well, you're my personal guest so go forth and have a blast. You'll see me around for sure. This is John, he’s an Alpha male, a DJ, and possibly an Eagle in his last life.”

“It’s a hawk, Morgan.” John held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you; really nice.”

“I'm Emily, nice to meet you too.”

“The DJ table and the bar in the corner are home base.” Derek said. “It’s always safe there. Just have some fun. Not too much fun unless you're taking pictures and want to show them to me later.”

“You're so lucky I like you.” Emily punched his arm. “Now I just need to find my friends.”

“If Elle’s with you she should be easy to find…follow the Drakkar Noir.”

“Huh?”

“That’s Jason Gideon’s cologne of choice. If memory serves, she’s still stalking him.” He said grinning.

“If there’s one thing Elle Greenaway isn’t, it’s a quitter.” Emily replied. “I’ll see you around.”

They parted ways as John started mixing Dancing in the Dark. Her first stop was the bar and a red plastic cup of Coors Light. Sam Cooper was tending bar tonight. Emily knew him because they had a class together last semester, Contemporary Moral Problems. They were both Philosophy minors. Sam told her that the harder beverages were in the basement. Then he asked how she did in the class.

“I got a B. It really ticked me off but I found the professor lacking.”

“I know what you mean. The second day of class it was hard to drag myself out of bed. I should've been running there but I really wasn’t. The final was ridiculous. I got an A though.”

“Braggart.” Emily stuck out her tongue. “Until we meet again, Sam Cooper.”

“See ya.”

It was difficult to make her way around. Luckily there was more than one entrance and exit to each room. This was her first time in the Alpha Sig house. Emily didn’t know why since she and Derek Morgan had been friends since freshman year. While he was pledging Alpha Sig and tearing up the football field, she was pledging Chi Omega. She wasn’t the sorority type but her mother had been Chi Omega.

Since she’d broken Ambassador Elizabeth Prentiss’ heart by choosing a university “beneath her station”, the sorority thing was a compromise. The Alphas lived in the biggest house on Greek row. It was known as Fraternity Row until the 80s when the sororities moved in as some frat chapters went inactive. It looked as if the whole campus has been invited to the party tonight. Emily ran into people from class, campus activities, and clubs. She also ran into Mick Rawson.

Emily did her best to get out of that conversation quickly. Mick had this ability to pull you into his web, without your knowledge or consent. It had to be the British accent. He wasn’t hard on the eyes though; not hard at all. Sometimes she thought he was a decent enough guy, just all wrong for her. Other times she thought he was possibly the scum of the Earth.

Whatever he was, Emily wasn’t in the mood for him tonight. She was almost 21 years old and still hadn't met a guy that kept her in the mood for long. She wanted to be moved but obviously that was asking too much. She could get it artificially, and had, over and over and over again. Coming down just made everything she lacked, or felt she lacked, more obvious to her.

Shaking off the feeling that it would always be that way, Emily made her way down to the cavernous basement. It reminded her of Buffalo Bill’s lair in _Silence of the Lambs_. At the bar, she got a SoCo shot with an orange soda chaser. John’s music played down there as well…he’d gone from The Boss to Alice in Chains. In the large room there were three beer pong tables with games going on.

A group of people were playing Cups on one of the long counters. That had always been one of Emily’s favorite games. The objective, to chug half a cup of beer and then flip your cup over on its head, was a college staple. The drunker the players got, the harder it became. Emily was a champion cups player…she had the tee shirt to prove it. This group of people didn’t seem to be doing so well. They were having fun though and that mattered more.

Lots of people were on various stages of hooking up. Emily smiled but there was no real mirth in it. It was bothersome to her when girls had no respect for themselves. She’d done her deeds for sure; one day she would eventually live them down. It was hard going to school in the same town you spent time growing up in when you were trying to change your ways.

Emily figured the trial by fire would make her stronger. You could pretend it wasn’t you at all if you moved someplace far away. Living in DC she could face it head on and beat it. The things that happened all over Europe…there was nothing Emily could do to fix them now. Be damned if some sweaty stranger, or acquaintance, ever again felt her up, down, or all around in some basement. Those days were over.

On the way back upstairs, she thought she saw her friend JJ but it was another peppy blonde. It looked like she might be on her own for a while. It was best to go with the flow and try to enjoy herself. Emily promised herself that her hard-partying days were over yet here she was. She knew plenty of people in the room so it was in the best interest of everyone to just turn on the magic.

She’d been wearing the mask for years. One more time for the road wouldn’t kill her. Walking into the living room again, a guy walking and talking backwards slammed into her. Emily held up hands but it was too late. An ‘oof’ sound came out of her diaphragm. The guy turned abruptly, his nearly full cup of beer splashing all over her chin, chest, and top.

“Goddammit!” she shouted.

“Oh my God,” he dropped the now empty plastic cup on the carpet and tried to wipe off her shirt. “Oh my God, I am so sorry.”

Emily glared at him and he pulled away his hands with a sheepish expression on his face.

“I'm so sorry.” He said.

“I have beer all over my shirt.” She replied in a stony tone. The party went on all around her. As usual, no one was paying any mind if it didn’t pertain to them.

“I know. Come up to my room.” he said. “I’ll get you a clean shirt, I promise. Let me fix this.”

“So I’ll come up to your room and you’ll fix everything?”

“Yes.” He nodded. “I've got a ton of tee shirts. Nothing as nice as what you're wearing but it’s the least I can do.”

“Listen buddy…”

“Hotch.”

“Listen, Hodge, I don't know how many girls fall for the beer on the shirt routine, I admit it’s a good one, but I'm not gonna be one of them.”

“Hotch.” he replied.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Emily was starting to get pissed. She had beer soaking into her skin and he wanted to speak a language she didn’t understand. The idea of smelling like Miller High Life all night was not appealing. Those days were over as well.

“Alright, look, I’ll go upstairs and get you a tee shirt.” Hotch said. “Don’t move from this spot or I’ll never find you again. In fact,” he took her hand and walked a few feet to the doorframe. “Stand right here and I’ll be back in five minutes…ten tops. OK?”

“Fine, whatever.” Emily wanted to cross her arms but didn’t want to get the smell of beer on them. “You’ve got 10 minutes.”

“Right.”

He sped off as fast as his shell-toed Adidas would take him. Emily rolled her eyes and leaned back. Her shirt was brand new but destroyed in less than 30 seconds. That was a record, even for her. Emily Prentiss could be a klutz sometimes but this Hodge kid had her beat.

He was kind of adorable but she hated men for the duration and him tonight. She didn’t want to think about what shirt she might be forced to wear for the rest of the evening. She probably should've gone with him so she wouldn’t be stuck advertising Kegs and Eggs ‘99 or the Middlebury Symphony Orchestra. As she let her mind go to the dorkiest places imaginable concerning the tee shirt, the living room lights dimmed and a silky voice came over the microphone.

“Slow dance.”

The melody began for Hall and Oates’ _One on One_. Emily had no clue what was going on. When someone swept her up in his arms and started to sway, she protested. She hit the guy’s shoulder pretty hard.

“Ow.”

“Get off me or it’s your balls next.”

“Please,” he whispered. “Don’t be alarmed…I'm one of the good guys.”

“Who are you?” Emily said, calming a bit. Something in his voice was truthful. She was a Communications major after all.

“I'm Samuel Mason Kassmeyer. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Well don’t hold me too close, Sam, I have beer all over my shirt.”

“What happened?” he asked.

“Some guy named Hodge spilled beer all over me.”

“Hotch?”

“What the hell is a Hotch?” Emily was exasperated. It was like the third time she was hearing that. Was it fraternity code for something?

“He’s a Hotch.”

“I’m not even going to pretend that I know what you're talking about. You're not making any sense to me.”

“What's your name?” Sam asked, changing the subject.

“Emily. Why are we dancing?”

“El Jefe loves playing this game. He says ‘slow dance’ and the brother caught without a dance partner has to do something ridiculous.”

“That’s not very nice.”

“Its all in good fun, I think.” Sam replied. “The problem is that ‘slow dance’ is definitely a game where shy guys like me can end up with buckets on their heads. Greg Sanderson once had to ride a bicycle in his boxers.”

Emily laughed as a flashlight moved over her and Sam.

“OK Maverick,” Dave Rossi grinned. “You lucky bastard.” He moved the flashlight over Emily’s body. “Very lucky.”

“Stop that before I shove that Mag Lite up your ass.” She said, the smile never leaving her face.

“And feisty too…I love it. Carry on.”

He walked away as the song faded to black. Apparently all the brothers had a dance partner so were safe for now. John came on the microphone.

“Ladies love the Notorious G.I.D. Let’s get on the floor and show him.”

Girls filled the middle of the floor to shake it as _Big Poppa_ started. Emily moved back to the spot where Hotch left her; she brought Sam with her.

“Who’s the Notorious G.I.D?” she asked.

“Jason Gideon is our chapter Vice President. I think this kind of thing embarrasses him but he always plays along. I have to say that I lucked out for the slow dance. It was a real pleasure, Emily.”

“Yeah, it was.”

She smiled just as Hotch came back with a tee shirt.

“I'm sorry for the delay.” He said. “I brought you a damp towel too so you wouldn’t smell like stale beer. I'm really sorry.”

“Thanks.”

Without pretense, in a room full of people, Emily peeled off her wet tank top. She handed it to Hotch, wiped off with the towel, and then put on the AC/DC _Highway to Hell_ tee shirt. Hotch passed the stuff off to a pledge he called St. Paul, telling him to take it up to his room.

“Are you an Angus fan?” Emily asked.

“Isn't everyone? I think I owe you a beer.”

“I know you do.” She turned to smile at Sam. “Thanks, Sam.”

“For what?”

“I appreciate your being a gentleman. I’ll see you around.”

“I'm looking forward to it.”

She and Hotch headed for the bar while Sam headed for the kitchen.

“So you're Hotch, and Jason Gideon is the Notorious G.I.D.?” she asked as Sam Cooper handed her another Coors Light. She was far too sober and that needed to be rectified. She may have stopped her hard partying ways for the most part but Emily Prentiss enjoyed drinking. Moderation worked for some things and not for others. It worked for drinking.

“We all have silly nicknames, that’s true.” Hotch replied.

“So,” Emily sipped her beer. “What the hell is a Hotch? Is that something from a Dr. Seuss book? I can admit that I haven’t read them all.”

Before he could answer, Morgan approached the two of them.

“Hey, hey, I see you’ve met our Cruise Director.” He grinned.

“Cruise Director?” she looked at him.

“That’s another silly nickname.”

“Boys are strange sometimes.”

“I’d have to agree. You can just call me Hotch.”

“What's Sam’s silly nickname?” she asked.

“If we told you, we might have to kill you.” Morgan said.

“I don’t think she means Sam Cooper.” Hotch replied.

“Oh Kassmeyer…he’s Maverick. Kinda like Tom Cruise in Top Gun.” Morgan snickered.

“Do I want to know why?”

“Probably not.” Hotch said. “I think you can sum it up with your illustrious statement of ‘boys are strange’.”

“Well I'm off, people.” Morgan said. “Mingle, get to know each other better; enjoy yourselves. I'm looking for a saucy Latina who has thus eluded me. She’s here though, and I'm on the prowl.”

“If you see any of my friends…” Emily began.

“You know I got your back, Prentiss. Penelope and I have radar; we’ll find each other.”

He walked away and Emily focused on Hotch. Yeah, he was kind of adorable.

“How did you get to be the Cruise Director?”

“How did you get to be Prentiss.” he countered.

“You can blame my father for that; it’s his last name.”

“What's your first name?”

“Emily. Now the Cruise Director…”

“It’s a joke. Some people think I'm too serious and a little antisocial.”

“You seem OK to me, Hodge.” She smirked.

“Haha, funny. Thanks though. Can I ask you something else?”

“Give it a try.” Emily replied.

“You took your shirt off back there and…”

“That’s not really a question.”

“You're not uncomfortable removing your shirt in a room full of people?”

“Are you?” she countered.

“I don’t have breasts. I mean, not that I was looking or anything. Well, if I was looking it wasn’t as if…” he sighed. “Anything I say right now will come out all wrong.”

“All of us have skin; some of us aren’t shy about showing it. It was better than spending the night with beer all over me.”

“I’m so sorry about that.” he said.

“Stop apologizing and make it up to me.” Emily started pulling him toward the middle of the living room floor. Britney Spears sang _Slave 4 U_ ; John came on the mic to say ladies choice. “Can you shake your thang?”

“Absolutely not.” Hotch tried to stop the pull of her gravity while doing nothing of the sort. “I was born with two left feet. I'm serious.”

“Well I don’t care. You're dancing with me, Hotch. It’s a party and you're the Cruise Director, right?”

Hotch didn’t answer, he just surrendered. He was going to suck but there was nothing to be done about it. Despite embarrassing himself in front of the prettiest girl in the room, Hotch found it impossible to wipe the smile from his face.

***

 _Tell me do you think it’d be alright  
If I could just crash here tonight  
You can see I'm no shape for driving  
Anyway, I've got no place to go  
And you know it might not be that  
You were the best I ever had  
If I hadn't blown the whole thing years ago  
I might not be alone_

The Gin Blossoms woke Emily the next morning. It was her cell phone, and she reached blindly for it. She heard it hit the floor.

“Fuck.” She mumbled, her arm coming out of the blanket. She finally felt it in her hand. “Hello.”

“Hello, is this Emily?”

“Who the hell is this?”

“This is Aaron Hotchner.”

“Who?”

“Aaron Hotchner, Hotch, we met last night.”

“Oh…ohhh.” Emily rolled over on her mattress. She didn’t like the way her heart thumped when recognition dawned on her. She didn’t remember giving him her number. She didn’t even remember his whole name, though it would've come to her eventually. “Hi.”

“Good morning. Did I wake you?”

“Pretty much. Do you know what time it is?”

“Almost 10:30.” He replied.

“Really?” Emily yawned. “I was knocked out.”

“I guess you had a good time last night.” Hotch said.

“I didn’t even want to come to the party but you proved yourself to be an able-bodied Cruise Director.”

“Well I'm glad.” He smiled on the other end of the phone. “You think you might want to grab some brunch with me this afternoon. I cleaned your shirt and want to return it.”

“You cleaned my shirt?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Hmm…OK. Pancakes sound good; my stomach is growling.”

“I’ll buy you pancakes if that’s what you want.” Hotch said.

“I'm not gonna turn down free food.” Emily laughed. “But this isn’t a date or anything. I don’t want there to be any confusion, Hotch. It’s just an exchange of clothing and some food consumption. You know?”

“Wow, um, OK.” He laughed a little but it was nervous. “I wasn’t thinking it was a date, honest.”

“I don’t want to lead you on. I'm not really…nevermind.” Emily took a deep breath. “Where do you want to meet and what time?”

Hotch told her they could meet at the Georgetown Diner at one. That was good for Emily as she only lived a few blocks from there. Hanging up the phone, she stretched across the big bed. She could hear the light rain falling outside her open window. It would probably rain most of the day but at least the temperatures hadn't turned too cold yet.

Emily threw her blanket off and climbed out of bed. She changed her mind and got back in. It was just ten thirty and she wasn’t meeting Hotch until one. Another hour of sleep would melt off some of the beer yucks she was experiencing. It wasn’t quite as gruesome as a real hangover but it was no picnic in the park either.

She’d just met the guy last night and he was definitely cute but so what. Emily wasn’t looking for love right now. She wasn’t looking for anything and this whole brunch/shirt exchange thing was probably a bad idea. But she was going anyway and damned if she wasn’t going to look good. She needed more sleep to do that.

“Hey!” Elle burst into her room.

“What the hell?” Emily’s thoughts shattered with the force of a sledgehammer. She glared at her roommate and best friend.

“I'm making coffee…you want?” Elle asked.

“Since when are you a morning person?” Emily countered. “And where the hell did you go last night? Nice outfit.”

Elle just wore bikini briefs and a bra. She also wore a pair of slippers with Homer Simpson’s head on them.

“Its not morning, it’s almost 11 o’clock. And I didn’t go anywhere last night.”

“I looked all over that party for you.” Emily sat up on her elbows. “Even Jason Gideon said he hadn't seen you. You said you were going there to hang out with him.”

“Bullshit; he saw me. He had to see me to avoid me like he was. Jackass. How can he not want this?” She ran her hands over her shapely body. “That boy boggles my mind. But I'm not giving up on him just yet. I think he's enjoying the ‘hard to get’ routine. He has no idea how much stamina I have. Do you want breakfast?”

“I have brunch plans so I'm fine. I need more sleep.” she turned over in bed. “Thanks though.”

“Hey Elle!” a male voice called from the living room. “Where are my shoes?”

 _Aha_ , Emily thought, _that explains Elle’s peppy attitude_. The voice sounded a little familiar but she couldn’t place it. She must have had a lot of beer last night not to remember that there was company when she came back to the apartment. Of course Elle had stopped fucking in the living room when Emily’s dad made a surprise visit early last spring. So there was good reason Emily probably didn’t know that the guy with the almost familiar voice was there.

“I gotta go.” Elle said.

“Mmm hmm.”

Emily closed her eyes, not sure at all if she would get any sleep. This was exactly why she was supposed to be done with partying.

***

“Can I talk to you?”

“Huh?”

Morgan looked up from the hood of the Ford Mustang he was working on. Coach Haas told him if he got it started then it was his. Rossi sure hoped he could because he was getting tired of it being in the driveway. For Morgan, it was a good way to kill time on the weekends. Football used to fill in those gaps until a career ending knee injury killed Morgan’s NFL dreams last post-season. At least his problem solving skills got a workout on this sports car. Every time Morgan thought he fixed something, something else went kaput.

“What's up Maverick?”

“I have a dilemma; I need some advice.”

“Well, that’s what big brothers are for.” He wiped his hands on the rag in his jeans pocket. “Spill it.”

“I think I want to ask out a girl. No, I know I want to ask her out.”

“Aww yeah.” Morgan grinned, playfully slapping his shoulder. “Go Maverick; who’s the lucky lady?”

“Emily Prentiss.” Sam replied.

“Hmm,” Morgan’s smile faded a little but not completely. “That’s a little complicated.”

“You think she's out of my league, don’t you?”

“A little, but what does a brother have if he doesn’t have hope? How did you do it the last time you asked out a girl?”

“Well…I've never actually asked out a girl before. You know, technically.”

“Did you have a girlfriend in high school?” Morgan asked.

“Not really. I was busy with baseball and all my clubs and stuff. There were girls, you know, but no one I felt particularly special about. I'm from a small town Morgan; everyone knows each other. We just went out on weekends and had fun.”

Morgan couldn’t really identify. He was from Chicago; a place where sometimes it was really in your best interest not to know anyone.

“OK, so you want to ask out Emily?”

“Yeah.” Sam nodded.

“You're in luck; her birthday is on the 12th.”

“Why would a girl want to go out with a guy she doesn’t even know for her birthday?”

“She won't.” Morgan replied.

“Are you trying to confuse me on purpose?” Sam scratched his brown hair.

“No,” Morgan shook his head laughing. “Here’s the deal, Maverick. You're gonna ask Emily out for her birthday and she’s gonna say no. Then that puts the ball in her court.”

“What will she do with it?”

“There are a few options. One, she’ll say something like ‘I’d love to get together some other time’. That’s good news. Two, she could give you a polite, but flat out no, which sucks but shit happens. Or she could put you in that ‘call me or I’ll call you’ purgatory. Avoid purgatory at all costs.”

“OK.” Sam nodded. “I found out she rents one of the library study rooms on Wednesday evenings. I'm gonna ask her then.”

“Good luck bro.” Morgan smiled, going back to his Mustang. “I got your back.”

“Thanks.”

Sam went back into the house and tried to figure out how he was going to pull this off. Morgan was right about her being out of his league. But that didn’t mean it was impossible, did it?

***

“El Jefe!”

Dave Rossi walked across the quad on Monday afternoon heading for the Bender Library. It was the fifth or sixth time he’d heard his frat name since he started the walk from Fraternity Row. He waved, throwing out a ‘hey’ but not breaking his stride. He had a date; being late was not an option.

Dave hardly paid attention to the throngs of people around him. He whistled a Dean Martin tune and put a little pep in his step. He caught sight of her before she saw him. She was leaning on a column smoking a cigarette. She looked casual but gorgeous in blue jeans and a blue ribbed v-neck that surely brought out her eyes. Her hair had grown, now it touched her shoulders.

It was pulled away from her face. He wanted to take out each and every bobby pin so he could run his fingers through it. Dave changed his course some; wanted to come up behind her. When he did, he gently tapped her shoulder.

“Excuse me; I think we used to know each other.”

Erin Strauss turned, smiled, and threw her arms around him. Dave exhaled when she was finally in his embrace…it had been too long.

“Damn, I've missed you.” he whispered, inhaling the scent of Estee Lauder’s Pleasures. He never told anyone but occasionally he sprayed his sheets with the fragrance while she was away.

“I'm sure there were plenty of girls to keep you company.” She replied, a playful look in her light blue eyes. “They were probably eager too.”

“I was beating them off with a stick as a matter of fact. No woman compares to my woman, but you already knew that.”

“Mmm hmm.” Erin kissed him. It was gentle at first, and then she deepened it. Never one for public displays of affection, her mother would just die if she knew, Erin surrendered as Dave pulled her closer and the passion overwhelmed them both. It probably wasn’t the best idea to see each other for the first time since summer in such a public place. She finally pulled away breathless. “David…”

“I really missed you.” He said, kissing her again. “It feels like forever since we saw each other.”

“There were those four magnificent days in June.” Erin replied, stroking his face. “They held me over when I was so homesick I wanted to cry.”

“I knew you were leaving me again. As much as I wanted to enjoy the time, I just couldn’t stop thinking about that.”

“Well I'm back now and you're stuck with me, David Rossi.”

“Whatever will I do?”

Dave managed to let her go for a few minutes so Erin could sit on one of the wooden benches and finish what was left of her cigarette.

“I missed school.” Erin crossed her legs. “I just missed knowing every nook and cranny of someplace and always feeling secure in that.”

“You weren't exactly a stranger in a strange land. Your father did teach there for a time when you were growing up, right?”

“I lived in Cairo from the time I was 8 until I was 12.” She reached for his hand and Dave sat beside her. “Believe me, it’s changed in a decade. But it wasn’t as unfamiliar as Heinrich Heine University would’ve been.”

Erin spent last semester abroad at American University in Cairo studying toward her degree in International Studies. She then spent most of her summer and some of September at The Hague in an internship program with the UN War Crimes Tribunal. She and Dave spent a combined total of 12 days together in almost 10 months. It was tough on their relationship, distance always was, but it didn’t make her love him any less.

Erin wasn’t sure how Dave felt. He wasn’t one to talk about that kind of thing without a lot of plodding. She wasn’t in the mood to plod just yet. There were better things to do at the moment. It would have to be soon though…she needed to get rid of the rock in the pit of her stomach.

“Still, Cairo wasn’t home.” She told him. “Home is where the heart is.”

“Where is your heart, Erin Strauss?” he asked with a grin.

“If you don’t know then I'm surely not going to tell you.” she pulled her hand out of his and crossed her arms.

“Bet I can guess.” Dave leaned over and kissed her cheek.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, David. It’s how you get yourself in the most trouble. You can think about it though, while you take me to lunch. I never thought I would miss turkey burgers from The Tavern. Does that sound good?”

“You're home now, baby…everything is good.”

***

“I cannot believe you don’t want to have a party.” Elle said. “This is important.”

“I can't believe you weren't listening when I said I was studying.” Emily replied. “Oh wait, nevermind, yes I can.”

“You're turning 21, babe. You have to have a party.”

“It’s not my thing.”

“What the hell are you talking about? You love parties.” Elle reasoned.

“Parties are fine, I guess. I just don’t care to be the center of attention.” Emily sighed, pushing aside her Arabic assignment for the time being. “Can we just do something low key? I don’t want to do anything but low key is bearable. If you throw me a party I’ll never speak to you again.”

“Promises, promises.” Elle stuck out her tongue. “We’ll get a little group together, dress up Sex and the City style, and go to The Hill. You can be Miranda, Miss Gloomy Gus.”

“No!” Emily exclaimed. She needed to put her foot down on that one. “So many poseurs hang out in that place; I can't stand it. We can just go to Mickey’s.”

“Are you kidding? Nothing happens there…ever. Old men and washed up politicians hang out there.”

“It'll be happening for my party. Mike loves me; we’ll just be able to chill. It’s my special day; shouldn’t we at least try to do it my way?”

Elle wasn’t exactly in the mood to chill. She was in the mood to get her groove on. She loved Emily; they'd been friends since freshman year. They pledged Chi Omega together. They were thick and thin.

This semester definitely seemed thin. It wasn’t just Emily’s major. Communications with minors in both Philosophy and Arabic would kick anyone’s ass. Since she’d taken this supposed vow of celibacy and decided to “clean up” her life, she’d lost all of her sparkle. Elle didn’t quite understand the point of all this…she liked fucking.

She loved parties; the occasional line of coke or drop of E. She definitely liked living la vida loca. You're only young once, that’s what her mother told her. Her father said if Elle ever got arrested he’d beat her till next Sunday. It was relatively easy to balance the two; her pretty face could get her out of almost anything. Apparently it couldn’t get her out of a boring 21st birthday celebration. She’d promised her best friend that she would support her.

But since when did giving up cock and coke mean giving up fun? Emily managed to squeeze in some fun at the Alpha party last week. Since then it was right back to the books and couch. Elle had to snap her best friend out of it before she was left flapping in the wind. They had the rest of their lives to be steady and dependable…now was the time to live it up.

“How about a little compromise?” Elle asked.

“Sure.” Emily put on a smile.

She knew her best friend missed their hard-partying days but Emily just had to stop. She had to stop or she was going to take too many pills and never wake up in the morning. She’d been that girl all over Western and then Eastern Europe with her mother. Then in her last two years at Hotchkiss she was still that girl. Nothing changed at American; the party continued. The drugs, the booze, the sex…nothing was too much.

Except it was all too much and Emily felt herself fracturing. She didn’t just stop because she wanted to. She stopped because it was the difference between life and death. What did Emily care about killing a girl she hardly knew anyway? The problem was that that girl had taken over her body. Certain ways of disposing of her were safer than others.

“We’ll run out to The Hill since Thursday is ladies night and we know all the bouncers. If we go at 8 then we’ll head over to Mickey’s at 10. That way everyone has fun.” She smiled.

“Sure.” Emily repeated, not giving a damn either way. She’d have to do something about the complete lack of enthusiasm before the big day. “Can I please finish my assignment now? This Arabic will not learn itself.”

“No problem. I'm probably gonna run out with some people for some drinks.”

“OK.” Emily was glad to have a few moments alone, even if it would be spent over a workbook.

***

“I need your help.” Hotch had held it in long enough.

“Huh?” Morgan looked up from Madden Football. He was supposed to be studying for his Organized Crime test but he was taking a break.

“I need your help.” Hotch flopped down on the couch.

“This calls for a drink; you're actually admitting you need my help. You want a Coke?”

“Sure.” Hotch didn’t know what else to say.

Derek rang a bell on the side table and Spencer Reid ran into the room. He was a legacy; people took one look at him and knew that. Still, he was a decent kid.

“Poughkeepsie, two ice cold Cokes for my brother and I.”

There were six newbies pledging Alpha Sigma Phi this fall semester. They were all under the tutelage of the Alpha Sig Vice President and Pledge Master Jason Gideon. Rossi thought it would be fun to give them names of innocuous cities where nothing fun was thought to happen. There was no Vegas or New York in this group. Instead there was Poughkeepsie, also known as Spencer Reid.

St. Paul was Jimmy Palmer, Fresno was Kevin Lynch, Allentown was Ryan Scott, Salt Lake City was Will LaMontagne, and Bloomington was Josh Beardsley. They were a good group of guys, freshmen and sophomores, who would grow into great Alpha Sigma Phi brothers. At least that was Derek Morgan’s opinion. If there was one of many things Morgan was good at it was reading and assessing people.

“Yes, Big Brother Nesquick oh great one.” Reid bowed and walked out of the room backwards. Pledges weren't allowed to turn their backs on brothers.

“I love that.” Derek grinned. “So what's up?”

“I want to see Emily Prentiss again but I have no idea what to do about it. The first time I returned her tee shirt. What reason do I have now?”

“Are you kidding me?”

“About what?” Hotch asked.

“Emily Prentiss…seriously?”

“Yeah. I like her, OK? What's the problem?”

“Dude, I just gave Maverick advice on how to ask her out. I mean not that he has much chance but…”

“What? How could you do that?” Hotch was incredulous. “I thought we were bros.”

“See, that’s what you do, man.” Morgan wagged his finger. “You keep shit from me and then get mad when I don’t know about it. What kind of sense does that even make?”

Reid came back with the ice cold Cokes. He placed the tray on the coffee table, bowed again, and silently backed out of the room.

“Just help me.” Hotch said. “I'm gonna forgive you about all the other stuff.”

“Go to hell.” Morgan replied, though his tone of voice wasn’t angry.

“Did Sam really…?”

“I think so. He knew she studied at the library on Wednesdays and was going over there to do his thing. He didn’t tell me how it went so I'm only assuming bad but Mama told me a long time ago not to assume.”

“How can Emily go out with me if she’s going out with Sam?” Hotch asked. Now he did need that Coke.

“I don't know, man, ask Maverick if he scored.”

“I can't do that. I can't put all my cards on the table. And I don’t wanna step on Sam’s toes. He’s my brother…you don’t do that to a brother.”

“Well you can just test the water. No harm, no foul. If Sam won fair and square, you'll take it like a man.”

“Sure.” Hotch nodded. Sadly he was already plotting ways to steal Emily away without knowing if she was really dating Sam or not. He’d probably burn in hell but he could live with that. “How are you gonna help?”

“Let me make a call.” Morgan pulled his cell phone off his hip and hit a number. “Yo!”

“Hey baby. Where are you?”

“I got a friend here and I need a favor. Where the hell are you…Mardi Gras?”

“Hold on, I'm going outside. We got the pledgies doing a little project; its getting loud in here. What do you need?”

“Access to Emily Prentiss’ 21st birthday party.” Morgan replied. He almost grinned when Hotch gave the hopeful look but he was still kind of mad at him.

“No way. She’d kill me, Morgan. She didn’t even want to do anything but I convinced her. Her only requirement was that it be girls only. I know, that sucks, but we haven’t been as good as we used to be lately. I don’t want her to cut me completely. She’s my best friend.”

“Well this is for my best friend. I hate to do this but you do owe me…I took care of that William Lee thing for you. I'm not throwing that in your face, I promise, but I need this.”

“Dammit.” She sucked her teeth. “If I do this, and risk my relationship with Em, you bring me Jason Gideon on a silver platter.”

“I don't think…”

“Then forget it.”

“Alright.” Morgan conceded. “I’ll do it and we’re on even ground. Deal?”

“Deal. We’ll be at Mickey’s between 10:30 and 11 on Thursday night. If the shit hits the fan, which it will, you didn’t hear that from me. Understood?”

“Absolutely. You know I love you.”

“Whatever,” Elle laughed. “Later tater.”

Morgan hung up his phone.

“We’re in.” he said.

“I'm your best friend?” Hotch asked.

“Just shut up. You owe me big for this…so big.”

“Whatever I can do, it’s done.”

“I'm glad you feel that way. You have to convince Jason to go with us. That was the only way Elle gave up the info.”

“How many more ways can he tell her that he's not that into her? She doesn’t like taking no for an answer does she?” Hotch asked.

“Not really. You get Gideon and off we go. Oh, and Maverick’s coming too.”

“What? He’s the competition, Morgan. Oh God,” Hotch covered his eyes. “I hate even saying that.”

“That’s why he’s coming. You need to know if he and Emily have the vibes for each other. How are you gonna do that if he’s not there? You, me, Maverick and Gideon go, we handle business, and voila. Now go away so I can finish my game. I've got major studying to do.”

“The Organized Crime test?” Hotch asked. They were in the same class.

“Yeah…I'm on a break.”

“I can help you.”

“You're never allowed to help me again. Need I remind you of the flashcard debacle of ’05?” Morgan said.

“Please don’t.”

“Then we’re good.”

“OK. I guess I better go and talk to Gideon.”

“Yeah, you better. If he's not in, Thursday night is going to be very bad for all of us.”

Hotch nodded, leaving him alone. Morgan took the game off pause and rang the bell again. He was in the mood for a sandwich.

***

“Question?”

“Answer?”

“Have you figured out what you want to be for Halloween yet?”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.” Dave nodded. He cuddled closer to Erin, kissing her chest right above the covers. It was really too early on a Tuesday morning for him to be awake but she had a nine thirty class. Erin usually liked to go back to her sorority house, Sigma Sigma Sigma, to shower and dress for classes.

“David, Halloween isn’t for like another three weeks…I think I have some time.”

“This isn’t just any Halloween.” He replied. “It’s my last Halloween in college. This is the party to end all parties. I'm talking like Can't Hardly Wait, American Pie, and Risky Business all wrapped up in one. Stories from this party will be passed down from Alpha Sig generation to generation. Costumes are important.”

“Oh…my bad.” She couldn’t help but laugh. “I honestly hadn't thought much about it. I've been busy trying to get re-acclimated to school life.”

“I know baby, and that’s important too, it’s just that…”

“This is the party to end all parties.” Erin finished his sentence.

“I don’t want to sound like an insensitive prick.” Dave said.

“You can be an insensitive prick sometimes. But, you see, that’s kinda what I love about you. David Rossi is a three-dimensional guy. They’re lacking in this world.”

“I try.”

“I’ll think about it.” Erin replied. “I know this is a big deal for you and that makes it a big deal for me too.”

“Are you open to suggestions?” he asked.

“Something about that question automatically makes me want to say no.”

“I was thinking Princess Leia.”

“I am not walking around a crowded party in a metal bikini and choke chain. Get it off your mind right now.”

“Damn, I can't decide which is sexier, thinking of you wearing it or your insistence that you won't.”

“David!” she punched him.

He laughed, changing position on the bed so that he lingered over her. She smiled when he swept blonde hair from her forehead.

“In _Episode IV_ , Leia wears the white dress with the honey buns. It’s even more of a classic look than the bikini.”

“You’ve got a Leia thing, don’t you?” Erin asked.

“A tiny one.” He held his thumb and forefinger far apart.

“OK, I’ll do it. It’s not like I had a good idea what to wear anyway.”

“Sweet.” He kissed her. “I love you.”

“I love you too. I need to go soon.”

“There's a little time.” he moved her thighs apart, fitting between them like a lock in key. Dave was in love with her body. There had been women before her…Dave Rossi earned his ladies man rep. But ever since Erin swept into his life like a hurricane almost two years ago there had been no one else.

“I don’t want anyone to hear us.” Erin whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“No one is awake at this hour except for Hotch, who’s on the other side of the house. Some of the pledgies are probably here but they’re not allowed upstairs unless they’re doing a brother’s bidding. C'mon baby, I missed you.” he stroked her hips and thighs. “I want you so much.”

“Don’t pout, it’s unbecoming.” She smiled. “Tell me how much you want me.”

“I've always been a show man, Erin Strauss; you said so yourself.” Dave kissed her passionately. “I definitely plan on showing you.”

She couldn’t deny him; Erin couldn’t deny herself. Not that she had a damn thing to compare him to, but David Rossi was a fantastic lover. He was so attentive and in tune with her wants and needs. Erin could hardly imagine that a day might come when some other man was expected to satisfy her one-tenth as much as he did. Her man was the notorious ladies man; she knew that when she met him. That was why she rejected his offer for a date three times.

The last time was the hardest; she was already falling for him by then. When he asked a fourth time; she said yes and never looked back. David waited eight months without an ounce of pressure before she slept with him. He did his best to calm his flirty nature with other girls. Erin knew he wasn’t interested in them but he just opened his mouth and something cheeky and sexy came out when he was around women. She had to get used to that just as he had to get used to things about her.

They were good together though…had been from the very beginning. She hoped they would be forever though Erin tried her best to stay grounded in reality. And reality was that girls rarely married their college sweethearts. She didn’t want to be with anyone else. She’d always been comfortable, loved, and satisfied with him. This morning was just one more time for her to enjoy that perfect moment.

***

“You’ve got to be fuckin kidding me.” Emily rolled her eyes when she saw them coming through the door.

“What?” Elle looked up from her beer.

“Don't play innocent. You had something to do with this, I'm so sure.”

“I didn’t do anything; what are you talking about?”

“What are they doing here?” Emily pointed at the four guys just as Morgan waved. “This was supposed to be girls only.”

“Be a sport, Peaches.” Garcia said. “Let’s invite them over.”

“Whatever.” Emily just rolled her eyes again, finishing her martini. She held up her glass for the barmaid walking by and got a nod in return. When the guys approached the table, Emily tried to smile. “Hello.”

“Hey Prentiss, happy birthday.” Morgan said.

“Not particularly. You wanna join us?”

“Sure.”

“Jason, you can sit next to me.” Elle patted the seat on the semi-circular booth.

Gideon glared at Hotch, who tried to smile. There was a bit of musical chairs as the boys squeezed in with the girls and they all tried to make room. Hotch ended up on the end of the semi-circular booth. Next to him was Emily, then Jason, Elle, Sam, a pretty blonde with curly hair Hotch didn't know, Jordan Todd, Penelope Garcia, and Morgan across from him.

“Drinks are on us tonight.” Derek said.

“That makes things a little better. I'm sure Mike wasn’t gonna charge me full price anyway.”

“And I have $10 for the jukebox.” Hotch said. “It’s the birthday girl’s choice.”

“Let’s go.”

Emily stood. Hotch did too and they were off. Morgan looked at Elle.

“I don’t think I've ever seen her so crabby.” He said. “What happened?”

“Mick Rawson was at The Hill.” Penelope replied. “He got a little too grabby tonight and it pissed Emily off. She kinda didn’t wanna go anyway. Then JJ left early cuz she had RA duty back at the dorm. We were happy to come here for the peace.”

“Except that this place is boring.” Elle said, rolling her eyes. She turned her attention to Sam. “What's up Maverick?”

“Nothing much,” Sam said, clearing his throat and edging closer to the blonde beside him. He wasn’t even sure that he wanted to come tonight after Emily ‘politely’ rejected him. Morgan assured him that while most girls never meant it when they said they wanted to be friends, Emily Prentiss wasn’t most girls. “Nice to see you again.”

“Isn't it just?” Elle grinned and then focused on Jason. “We didn’t get to talk much the last time we were together. I was a little disappointed”

“I’m Pledge Master this semester…it’s a busy job. I told you that.”

“So you didn’t talk to me because you were too busy? Hmm, seemed to me as if you just didn’t want to.”

“Elle, why do you keep doing this?”

“What am I doing?” she asked, her fingers not so innocently dancing across his thigh.

Jason tried to put on a smile as he put her hand back in her lap. Elle was a fun girl to be around, sometimes, but she was not his type. She was just too much and in an effort to never be cruel, Jason had no idea how to tell her. He wanted to say back off; go away. That wasn’t his nature. Was it his lot to be stalked because he couldn’t be aggressive enough?

He could be but Jason didn’t like being that way. Sometimes he thought that’s what Elle wanted. She wanted Mr. Hyde to come out…thought she could have more fun with him than boring old Dr. Jekyll. Jason knew she could, that’s why he kept him tucked deep down. Every guy had a Mr. Hyde. He was just better at controlling his.

“I hope you don’t mind,” Sam leaned to whisper to the girl next to him. “But I might be in your lap at some point tonight.”

“Why?” she smiled.

“Elle scares me a little. She’s grabby.”

“That’s one word for it. I guess I can let you borrow my lap from time to time.” She offered her hand. “I'm Jessie Brooks.”

“Sam Kassmeyer.” He shook her hand and smiled wide.

“It’s nice to meet you.”

000

“What's the matter?” Hotch asked as Emily scanned over the song selection on the jukebox.

“Men are scum. Other than that, things are perfect.”

“I take slight offense to that statement.”

“I don’t particularly care. Ooh, Journey; I love this song.” She pushed the button for _After the Fall_. “I've never seen it in a jukebox before.”

“It is pretty obscure.” Hotch replied.

“You a Journey fan?”

“Yeah. I got you a birthday present.”

“You shouldn’t have done that. Hotch, I don’t want…”

“I wanted to.” he cut her off and apologized. “I just wanted to get you something nice.”

“You're a nice guy, aren’t you?” she asked.

“You asked that as if my saying yes will make you spit on me.”

“I can think of a handful of people I might spit on. You're not one of them, Aaron Hotchner.”

“Open your gift.” He pulled the gift wrapped rectangle from the inside pocket of his fleece jacket.

“OK. You pick the last five songs. If they’re lame, I will judge you.”

“I don’t doubt it.”

Emily smiled when he wasn’t looking at her. She tore the paper off and couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “Hotch? How…?”

“I know a guy.”

“Who the hell is he? I didn’t think something like this existed.”

Emily was holding a copy of Kurt Vonnegut’s _Mother Night_ translated into Arabic. She lifted it to her nose and the paper smelled fresh.

“ _Mother Night_ is my favorite book.” She said.

“I know.”

“How did you know that?”

“You told me that day we went to brunch.”

“I did?”

“Yeah.” he nodded. “C'mon, let’s get back to the party. I think the soundtrack is gonna be awesome.”

“I could use a little awesome in my life right now.”

000

The night got progressively better. Jason only stayed for an hour or so but he told Emily some funny stories about growing up in Chicago. Morgan joined in and though they didn’t grow up together, their stories were similar and hilarious. It was nice to hear that some people had normal lives and weren't shuttled back and forth to cosmopolitan international cities and embassies with nannies, nurses, and the whole to-do.

Elle disappeared sometime later. Emily couldn’t pinpoint when. She was too busy drinking martinis and singing songs from the jukebox. _Piano Man, Tiny Dancer, After the Fall, Pretty in Pink, Take it Easy, Mandy_ …they had picked a selection of favorites that got everyone singing. Emily sat up on the bar and led everyone in song for Billy Joel.

Mike made her a birthday cake and one of the barmaids brought it out with 21 candles on it. That almost brought tears to her eyes. It was a really sweet gesture. That was why she loved this place; she could just be Emily and that was enough. At closing time, the college students walked out into the drizzly night.

“I'm walking Prentiss home.” Hotch said.

“I'm OK, Hotch. You don’t have to do that; I don’t live far.”

“You're not walking alone.” He said.

“Peaches, don’t be silly, let Hotch take you.” Garcia agreed. “This can be a dangerous city and you’ve been drinking. You don’t want your 21st birthday to be your last.”

“Wow, Garcia, way to be optimistic.” Emily replied. “Fine, he can walk with me.”

“Good.” Morgan said. “I got these two gorgeous ladies.” He slipped one arm around Penelope and the other around Jordan. Maverick will escort Jessie.”

“We’re all headed in the same direction.” Jessie said, slipping her arm in Sam’s. “Penelope and I are roommates.”

“Well I got three gorgeous ladies…and Maverick. Hotch, man, you cool?”

“I'm good.” Hotch nodded. “I’ll text you after I drop Emily off and I'm on my way back.”

“Good deal.” Morgan held out his fist. Hotch hit it with his. “I’ll see you later.”

“Wait,” Emily waved her arms wildly to stop them before they walked away. She was tipsy, clearly, but she wanted to get this out. “I was expecting tonight to suck. I was gonna have to suck it up and deal because Elle wanted to give me a party. It’s funny how she disappeared right in the middle of her own production. Anyway, I had fun in Mickey’s tonight, with you guys. I'm sorry if I was crabby earlier; I didn’t want to go to The Hill and it showed. But here was great and I had one of the best birthdays ever. I don’t know how to thank you guys.”

“Damn Prentiss,” Morgan grinned. “That moved me.”

“Bite me, Derek.” She was grinning too.

“Aww Peaches,” Penelope hugged her and kissed her forehead. “We love you. I'm so glad the night was better for you than you thought.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow for lunch, PG.”

Emily kissed her once more, said goodnight again, and she headed in the opposite direction with Hotch. They didn’t say much for a while. The rain was falling steadier but neither seemed to care. They had to walk about seven blocks but the streets were relatively quiet. That was surprising in Georgetown but it was Thursday night.

Tomorrow was when it would be crazy. She looked at him as she lit a cigarette. It didn’t smell stale like his father sometimes did; it was sweet. The smell wasn’t familiar to Hotch. Now was probably not the time for his lung cancer lecture.

“What are you smoking?”

“It’s a clove.” Emily replied. “They’re a brand I love from Eastern Europe; mostly sold in Bloc countries. It’s a bitch to get them over here, and expensive too, but when I like something I don’t care how much of a challenge it is.”

“I can respect that; even if smoking is bad for you. Do you mind holding onto me?” Hotch asked, changing the subject when they stopped at a red light.

“What girl would mind holding onto you?” Emily countered, taking hold of his arm.

“I just didn’t want to assume…”

“Good, my mother always says it makes an ass out of you and me.”

“Something like that.” he smiled.

“I like your dimples.” She poked his cheek.

“I get that a lot.”

“Really? Are you beating the girls away with a stick, Aaron Hotchner?” Emily giggled

“Not really.” He shook his head.

“Well don’t fall for me, OK?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Maybe it’s the liquor and I'm just saying something stupid but don’t fall for me. It’ll only break your heart.”

“Why would you think that?”

“What, that you like me or that I’d break your heart.” Emily flicked the cigarette away. “I'm not a nice girl, Hotch.”

“I don’t see that but I guess you know yourself better than I do.” he replied.

“Damn straight I do.”

“Well you were nice tonight so I appreciate that.” he countered.

“I'm trying.”

“Do you need some help?”

“Damn you,” Emily laughed. “You are a fuckin nice guy aren’t you?”

“I don’t know why that’s such a bad thing.” Hotch laughed some. “I know they finish last but someone has to I guess.”

“Even if I did like you, which I'm not saying that I do, I don’t wanna hurt you. I have that tendency. A nice guy doesn’t deserve that.”

“This is probably a conversation better suited for sober people.” He replied. “I just want to get to know you Emily; that’s all. I'm not trying to get in your pants or anything like that. I'm not that type of guy. I think you're pretty. I think you're smart. I think your eyes are sometimes sad but always beautiful. I think this is our third time together but I'm already looking forward to our fourth.”

“You think there’s gonna be a fourth?” she asked.

“I was planning to invite you to the Alpha Sig Halloween blowout. Rossi has something incredible planned. We’re having it with the Triple Sig sisters.”

“I heard he was married to their President; the poor girl.”

“I wouldn’t quite say married yet, but they’re well on their way.”

“She doesn’t seem like his type. I'm not fond of your average Triple Sig sister.”

“No offense, but you don’t seem like a sorority type either. I don’t like to judge but…”

“Don’t be silly, we all do.”

“We all do what?” Hotch asked.

“We all like to judge, Hotch. My mother was Chi Omega at Ole Miss. When I told her I was choosing American over Barnard or Smith, she insisted that I pledge as a legacy to make up for choosing an ‘inferior’ school. She said that at least I could become a part of a huge network that would be beneficial to me later in life. My mother is a bit of an expert on beneficial things.”

“She's the former Ambassador to Czechoslovakia, right?”

“How did you know that?” Emily’s guard went up. This was the part she hated; the part that always happened.

“I wasn’t checking up on you.” Hotch said quickly.

“Then what were you doing?” she asked.

“I was just asking. Everyone knows who Elizabeth Prentiss is. Well, everyone who reads a newspaper anyway.”

“I like the fact that you actually read a newspaper, Hotch. Yes, she is the former U.S. Ambassador to Czechoslovakia.” She loosened up some. “Then there was Italy, Amsterdam, Hungary, and the Ukraine.”

“Wow. That’s impressive.” He replied.

“Yeah it is, if you care about that kind of thing.” Emily rolled her eyes. She was so over people being impressed with her mother. “I don’t care about that kind of thing.”

“What do you care about?”

“I have no clue.” She shrugged. “I'm still figuring it out. What do you care about?”

“I'm going to become a lawyer. Yes, I already know there are more lawyers in law school than there are positions to fill. Still, justice is important to me. I care about that. I care about my brothers. I care that you really liked your birthday gift. I care…”

Emily stopped him with a kiss. She just stopped, in the middle of the sidewalk, and kissed him. Hotch didn’t know what to do so he put his arms around her. When they finally broke apart to breathe, Emily rested her forehead on his shoulder.

“I need to get you out of this rain before you catch cold.” He whispered.

“I'm actually rather warm right now.”

“If you don’t want to see me Emily, then you probably shouldn’t kiss me.”

“If you do want to see me then you’ll have to know a lot of bad things.” She replied.

“All I need to know is what you tell me.”

“I’d rather you hear it from me than someone else. I'm not perfect, Hotch.”

“Good. Neither am I.”

They started walking again; this time he held her hand. Hotch wasn’t perfect but he was a little concerned about where Emily was coming from. He knew Elle Greenaway and the kind of girl she enjoyed being. Best friends surely couldn’t be polar opposites. Still, Morgan said Emily was good people. He didn’t give that kind of endorsement to anyone who didn’t deserve it.

She might have some things in her past, even her recent past, which she wasn’t proud of. That didn’t make her a lost cause. Hotch didn’t think she would ever be that. His feet hadn't touched the ground since her lips touched his. That was a much more important feeling than any of the other stuff. At least he’d like to think it was. He hadn't heard any of the other stuff yet.

“This is me.” she stopped in front of yellow building of converted apartments on 37th right off M. They were about a block from the famous _Exorcist_ steps.

“This is snazzy living for a college student.” Hotch said.

“My father owns the condo. Do you want to come inside and get an umbrella?”

“No thank you, I’ll probably just hail a cab home.”

“It’s late but there should be a few around. I meant what I said earlier, Hotch.”

“Refresh my memory; a lot was said.”

“I expected tonight to suck and some of it did. But being at Mickey’s with good friends was what I really wanted my birthday to be about. Even if I wasn’t expecting you all to show it was still nice.”

“Unexpected gifts are always the best.” He replied.

“I’d say you're right.” Emily stepped up on the first step so that she was taller than him. Then she kissed his cheek. “Goodnight, Aaron Hotchner.”

“Can I see you again? Soon?” he blushed a bit when asking. This was not his forte but he if he wanted to see her, Hotch knew he had to put it out there. She seemed to be doing everything in her power to brush him off. Well, except kissing him. Kissing him was not brushing him off.

“I'm really busy with classes, and I'm not saying that to brush you off. I have a major and two minors and I'm jumping into them all head first. But I’ll definitely come to your Halloween party. Call me sometime…we’ll grab a bite to eat or something.”

“Yeah, OK.” He was grinning again. “I'm glad you had a happy birthday, Emily. Goodnight.”

She went up the stairs and inside the house. He waited a minute or so after the door closed before turning to walk away. He wasn’t to the corner when a cab came down the street. Hotch held out his hand; it slowed to a stop. Giving his address, he grabbed his cell phone from his pocket and texted Morgan. ‘Prentiss home safe, I'm in a cab heading back’.

What a night it had been. He owed Morgan, and he definitely owed Jason. But it was worth it. He’d had fun tonight, which could sometimes be lacking in his life. He was also getting to know Emily Prentiss, slowly but surely. It was very slowly but Hotch had a feeling that would be for the better.

***

“Are you a legacy?”

“Why would you ask me that? I mean, I know I'm not cool enough to be in this frat and sometimes people…”

“What are you talking about?” Jessie stopped eating her butter pecan ice cream and looked at him. She hadn't stopped smiling since she walked out of her American History class and Sam was there. He’d bought her ice cream and some for himself as well. They walked over to the quad, got a nice bench near one of the many shady trees, and sat down together.

It had been just two weeks since they’d met but she was smitten. Jessie surely hadn't said anything yet, but she thought it impossible not to be taken with him. “I wasn’t even close to thinking something like that. Why would you think that I was?”

“Well…I'm not exactly Alpha Sig material.” Sam replied. “Some people snicker when I say I'm a brother.”

“Some people are assholes.” She surmised.

“Oh c'mon, I'm not super gorgeous like Derek Morgan or super suave like Dave Rossi or super genius like Jason Gideon. I'm just…”

“You're super sweet, like Sam Kassmeyer, and that’s all you need to be. You definitely don’t have to be someone you're not. That kind of thing doesn’t impress me. You being you impresses me.

“You walked me home so I wouldn’t have to be alone in the dark. You hold doors for me and do that adorable seatbelt thing across me before we jaywalk. You even carried my books the day that I hurt my finger. You're in Alpha Sig because you worked for it. They don’t seem like the kind of guys who would let you in on GP.”

“You think I'm adorable?” Sam asked, his brain quickly catching up on everything else she said after that.

“Yeah I do.” she nodded.

“Then why did you ask me about being a legacy?”

He hadn't meant to get upset with her. Sam wasn’t that kind of guy. But he’d taken his knocks about it and hated when people seemed so shocked that he was in such a great frat. He’d always been the quiet guy, smart but shy. He didn’t get the girl or the kudos…he was a team player. But over the years Sam forged his own way and he liked it.

The brothers called him Maverick, because he was nothing like Tom Cruise. Sometimes he really appreciated that. Other times he thought he might be the butt of everyone’s joke. It wasn’t always easy to reconcile the two sides and just be Sam. He felt like he could be Sam with her, even after just a couple of weeks. The question threw him off, though she surely had a right to ask.

“I'm a legacy; pledging Chi Omega next semester.” Jessie replied. “My grandmother was Chi Omega, my mother, my Aunt, all of my female cousins, and then my sister. This is important to them.”

“What's it to you?” Sam asked, eating more of his cookies and cream.

“I don't know,” she shrugged. “It’s what we do, I guess. I feel like I've disappointed my mother in so many other ways…maybe I can make her happy with this. Why did you pledge?”

“My friend Ethan was the legacy; I was just his roommate. We pledged together last spring cuz he didn’t want to do it alone. He didn’t want to do it at all but his father was so insistent. He was always pushing, pushing, pushing.”

“I haven’t met Ethan yet.” Jessie said.

“You won't. He dropped out of college. He didn’t even make it two weeks pledging; he hated it. He hated everything it came to stand for in his family and his life. His father disowned him and he moved to New Orleans to focus on his true love, music. I finished alone.”

“But you're not alone now. You have a bunch of brothers.”

“I like the frat.” Sam said. “My dad still thinks of it as false brotherhood, paying for your friends and all that, but I'm happy. My brothers are good guys and they're good to me. Being in Alpha Sig has brought me out of my shell.”

“Don’t come too far out, Sam Kassmeyer, I like you as you are.”

“I like you as you are too. I've seen pledging change people.”

“I'm a bit like Ethan; I don’t have a choice.” Jessie said. “I have to be a Chi Omega sister. But I don’t want to lose Jessie in the process. It’s so easy sometimes to just be what everyone wants you to be.”

“Maybe we can…keep each other on our toes?” he suggested. “You know, make sure that we stay Sam and Jessie in the midst of all this Greek life.”

“We’d have to get to know Sam and Jessie pretty well so we can know the signs of change and fix them if there are any problems. That would probably mean spending more time together.”

“I'm not opposed to that if you aren’t.”

Sam couldn’t look at her when he said it. Was she saying what he thought she was saying? He had no idea because a girl had never said it before. Morgan told him to go with the flow and that’s what he was trying to do. He wondered if Jessie noticed his hands were shaking.

“Opposed to spending more time together?” she shook her head. “No, I'm definitely not.”

“OK.” He smiled.

“OK.” Jessie laughed. “Wanna see a movie on Friday? I've got two big tests next week so this might be the only real break I get before then. I might regret the decision, horror movies freak me out, but the University Theater is playing _When a Stranger Calls_.”

“Friday night sounds great.”

“Then it’s a date.”

“It is?”

“Yeah Sam,” she slipped her hand in his, interlocking their fingers. “It’s definitely a date.”

***

“Bro!” Rossi held up his hand as Jason walked past The Tavern’s outside tables. He was over at a corner table reading over Supreme Court cases for a test next week. This was one of the last big tests before Dave could focus on Halloween and then the last 5 weeks of the semester. That’s when he would be writing papers until his eyes crossed. It was all worth it though; he was almost at the finish line.

“Let me grab a sandwich.” Jason came over to the table and put down his soft case stuffed with books. “You want something?”

“Another coffee.” Dave held up his empty paper cup.

“No.” Jason shook his head.

“I hate you.”

“I'm comfortable when things don’t change.”

Jason managed a smile before he went into the building. It was crowded even though they were on the tail end of lunch. He went over to the deli counter and got a turkey club on wheat, hold the bacon, with extra tomatoes and mayo. He grabbed an iced herbal tea and got Rossi another coffee with a shot of espresso.

As he made his way through the line and the crowd, Jason said hello to a few people that stopped him. Some were professors, some were students, and two were even girls. The Alpha Sig Vice President and Pledge Master was popular on the large campus. Still, calling Jason Gideon a people person was off somehow. He was quiet, studious, and intense.

He was acquainted with many but friends with few. His double major of Philosophy and Religious Studies with a minor in Criminology kept him busy over the past five years. He pledged the frat in his sophomore year with Rossi pressing him. Jason figured it was the closest he’d get to a real sociological experiment. It surprised him how much he enjoyed brotherhood while also soaking up information about the intricacies of Greek life.

He was eager to pursue his Masters in Philosophy, then his PhD and eventually teach but plans had changed recently. Jason Gideon was about to embark on an entirely new adventure. His closest friend, David Rossi, was going to be there too. Both of them were flying by the seat of their pants; knowing they would succeed for entirely different reasons.

“I'm sure you don’t need this.” Jason handed him the coffee and sat at the table.

“Nope.” Dave sipped the hot beverage. “But I'm gonna drink it anyway. How much do I owe you?”

Jason gave him a look and Dave let the subject drop. He knew Jason didn’t care for money; he wasn’t that kind of guy. They’d known each other since freshman year, gotta love the roommate lottery, and Dave had yet to really figure him out. He wasn’t sure that he ever would. He wanted to call Jason strange, but he wasn’t quite that.

He was focused, that’s for sure. An intense stare from him, and most of Jason’s stares were intense, made you think he could read every thought you ever had and possibly see your internal organs. He was quiet unless something needed to be said, and was more philosopher than conversationalist. It was difficult sometimes to talk to him about beer and broads, but a cakewalk discussing Confucius and Homer. He was the smartest person Dave had ever met and Dave Rossi knew everybody.

OK, he was strange. But he’d still have your back on anything. Once you were friends with Jason Gideon, you were friends. The same could be said once you were enemies. He’d seen Jason cut a few people out of his life and never look back, even brothers.

Bruno Hawkes, who pledged two years before them, had taken Gideon under his wing. Dave knew how close they were; Gideon looked to him as the older brother he never had. Then Hawkes had done something, no one knew for sure, and Gideon cut him off. Only the people who really, really knew Jason understood how much it hurt. But he never took Bruno back. It was as good as over.

Dave knew he and Jason were kind of the night and day of Alpha Sig but they forged a friendship and both men believed it was strong. They made a pact when they took over the fraternity from the megalomaniacal Max Ryan to destroy the other if absolute power corrupted. Each knew that the other would do what they needed to do. It kept them friends, and it kept them honest. Everyone needed that kind of person in their lives.

“Have you figured out your Halloween costume yet?” Dave asked.

“I'm going as Marc Antony.” Jason replied. “I was going to be a Reaper but Morgan said that was a little weird. Roman generals are sexy, he said, or some such. Anyway, I think Nora might be there.”

“Are you serious?” Rossi paid more attention. “You asked her?”

“Not exactly.”

“Not exactly? Then how is she supposed to be there, Jason, your super secret psychic connection?”

“I sent Poughkeepsie with a personal invitation to the event. Salt Lake City backed him up.”

“Well that’s good since Poughkeepsie is practically incapable of communicating with the opposite sex.” Dave replied.

“He does alright, as long as he isn’t attracted to them.”

“A personal invitation, huh? Nice touch…sounds like something I would do.”

“I admit to having a ‘What would Dave Rossi do’ moment.” Jason smiled some.

“Well it only took 2 years.” Rossi said. “You’ve had three classes together and even paired for a project last semester. You tutored her on Kant and existentialism. If anyone could make that sexy, you could. I really thought it was gonna happen then but…what have you said to her, like hi and bye?”

“I've said a little more than that.”

“Very little.” Rossi smirked, giving his best friend a nudge.

“We’ve had lunch a few times. I would say we’re friends. Maybe she would even say we’re friends.” Jason felt the need to defend his record of doing nothing where Nora Bennett was concerned. “Oh, and I took her to the showing of _The Insider_ at Georgetown where Jeffrey Wigand spoke afterward. That could be considered a date.”

She was a political science major; they knew each other from around the social science department. She was intelligent, beautiful, and confounded him. Every time he managed to have a conversation with her, it was amazing. He just couldn’t turn it into something more.

Dave was right, it had been two years and Jason had done bupkis. That wasn’t his nature. When he wanted something, he went for it and made it his. Jason was good in his classes, his frat, and everything else. With Nora Bennett…not so much.

“Where you discussed school, and possibly the weather.” Dave said.

“Aww, c'mon, she’s…I'm like Poughkeepsie when I get around her. It’s complicated.”

“I know all about complicated. I still haven’t told Erin about our plan.”

Jason shook his head. Dave and Erin were a bit of an enigma to him. If he and Dave were night and day, Dave and Erin were happy hour and afternoon tea. They’d been together since Thanksgiving of junior year and now Dave was a fifth year senior. They rarely fought but seemed to enjoy healthy bickering.

Jason never saw Erin laugh unless she was with Dave. He saw the intense love in Dave’s eyes when he looked at Erin. They had to be doing something for each other. Sometimes Jason wanted to be a fly on the wall for what they talked about when they were alone.

He knew they had sex, a lot…he was in the room next to Dave’s after all. But it was more than that. If it were just sex, it would be something Jason completely understood. Pheromones rarely defied logic.

“When do you plan to do so?”

“I don't know.” Dave shrugged. “I don’t think she’s gonna be happy. I think she wants to go back to New York after graduation. Her dad is putting on the pressure to go to Columbia for her Masters. You know he teaches there.”

“If she wants to be in International Relations the best thing to do is to stay here. New York has the UN. DC has everything else.”

“I'm with you. New York also has her family.”

“We all have to leave the nest some time.” Jason reasoned.

“Tell that to Erich Strauss. No, I'm serious,” he said when Jason laughed. “I’ll give you his phone number and everything.”

“Erin seems like the type of person who makes her own decisions. She tows the line sometimes, in the sense that she’s not much of a rule breaker, but she doesn’t let people rule over her either. Her father helped instill that in her or she wouldn’t be that kind of woman.”

“I believe that too.” Dave nodded. “It’s just…she’s not going to like this Jason. She won't like it and possibly move to New York out of spite. She’ll regret it later but still be over 200 miles away.”

“Why do you think that?” Jason asked.

“I've assessed the situation. I've assessed it to the moon and back.”

“That stuff never works. You just have to jump in.”

“Says the guy who took a millennia to ask out Nora Bennett and still made Poughkeepsie do it.”

“That wasn’t avoidance.” Jason replied.

“What was it?”

“Delegation.”

“Really?” Dave laughed. “Way to use those leadership skills, Gideon.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll tell her soon…I think.”

“I’ll make you a deal. You tell Erin and I’ll tell Nora.” Jason said.

“I know you really like her but I have a little more to lose.” Dave said.

“I know you do, but we’ll still do it together. Deal?” Jason held out his hand.

“Deal.” Rossi sighed and shook it. He hoped this didn’t ruin his favorite party holiday and his relationship with Erin all in one fell swoop. Even Jason having his back wasn’t making him feel better about this one.

***

“No, I'm telling you that you guys are just nuts.” Morgan laughed. “I can't even believe you think it’s a contest.”

“One dude started it.” John said. “The other turned it into a juggernaut.”

“Blackwolf, you're a music man.” Adam Kurzbard, another brother said. “You ought to be ashamed of yourself. They did 1984.”

“Four words for you…” Blackwolf countered. “ _For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge_.”

“Excuse me, oh great big brothers.” Jimmy Palmer walked into the living room.

“What's up, St. Paul?” Morgan tilted his head to look back at him.

“Forgive the intrusion, Big Brother Nesquick oh great one, but Emily Prentiss is here.”

“Send her in…we need someone to break this tie.”

“Yes sir.” Jimmy bowed. Adam stopped him before he backed completely out of the room.

“And bring some beers for my brothers and I, St. Paul; you know since you're up and all.”

“Yes sir, Big Brother Mug Shot, oh great one.”

Emily shook her head as she walked into the living room. The whole fraternity pledging thing seemed so embarrassing. It wasn’t that bad for her when she pledged Chi Omega. She knew some sororities could be as bad as the boys but the most she ever had to deal with was sleep deprivation.

Well that and the time they had to dress up like cigarette girls for a party and ‘entertain’ the male guests. Emily liked it at the time; she thought she was sexy and fun. Looking back it was probably one of the most degrading things she’d ever done. It was something that was better to put away and never think about. No way would she make the pledges she would look after next year do something like that.

“Hi there.” she waved at the guys.

“Hey.” They said in unison.

She could see Hotch’s dimples poking into his cheeks from all the way across the room and it made her smile more. No, no, no, she would not fall for him. She absolutely, positively would not fall for him.

“Emily, we need your help.” Morgan said.

“What can I do?” she asked.

“There are four of us in this room. Without naming names and embarrassing anyone, we’re having a little dilemma. Two of us, the right two, insist that David Lee Roth was the best lead singer of Van Halen. The other two say Hagar. Who do you say?”

“Take your time.” Adam said.

“I don’t need to, thanks. It’s Sammy.”

“I told you!” John exclaimed, jumping up to give her a high five.

“Prentiss…what the hell?” Morgan asked.

Jimmy returned with the beers, serving his brothers and exiting the room without making a single sound. Emily just shook her head as he left.

“I’m a sucker for a good rock ballad. Sammy might be the king of the rock ballad.” She replied. “I can't be the only one who loves him. All of Van Halen’s albums with Sammy on lead vocals went to #1 on the charts. What can David Lee Roth say?”

“ _Hot for Teacher_.” Adam replied.

“Definitely.” Morgan nodded.

“I think if you're a Dave fan you can't be swayed.” Emily said. “If you're a Sammy fan you can't be swayed. I say just enjoy the music. Can I have Hotch now?”

“Tell us what you’re gonna do with him and we’ll let him go.” John said grinning.

“Tell us slow.” Adam added.

“Shut up, you guys.” Hotch said, getting up from the couch. He grabbed his beer and walked toward her. “We’re studying.”

“Is that what it’s called now?” Adam asked.

Hotch ignored them, leading Emily out of the room. They walked to the bottom of the long staircase.

“Do you want to go to my bedroom or someplace less personal?” he asked.

“Your bedroom is fine.” She replied.

“You really like Sammy best?” Hotch asked.

“Yes,” she nodded. “I did a striptease to Poundcake once…OK, twice.”

“Wow.” He found his mouth dry. “Um…”

“We better get to this studying. My test is the day after tomorrow.”

“Right.” Hotch did his best to snap out of it. Why did she tell him something like that? Now he’d never be able to shake the image from his mind. “Are you hungry or anything? One of the pledges can make you a sandwich. We have every kind of meat and cheese you could dream of.”

“I could probably eat.” She replied.

Hotch grabbed the bell from the front table and rang it. Kevin Lynch came running.

“Yes, big brother Cruise Director, oh great one?”

“Emily Prentiss wants a sandwich, Fresno.”

“I’ll have turkey ham and American cheese with potato chips…and a Coke.” She told him.

“Yes ma'am.” He bowed and began to back away. Hotch called after him to bring it upstairs.

“At least I can tell Penelope he’s alive.” Emily said as they walked up the stairs.

“They’re doing pretty well. And believe me they have it easier than we did.”

“Really?”

“Max Ryan was our pledge master. We nicknamed him Dr. Szell, after Olivier in _Marathon Man_. That guy was a prick and I have the scars to prove it.”

“He was physically abusive?” Emily asked. She walked into the bedroom Hotch shared with Morgan. She could only smile when Hotch took her jacket for her.

“Oh yeah. The brothers kept it to a minimum as best they could but he was pledge master. And it wasn’t like the newbies could run and tell the brothers when something bad happened. We stuck together though…we’re a tight pledge class. Maybe we wouldn’t have been if he hadn't done what he did.”

“Bullshit. Brotherhood has nothing to do with abuse. That sounds horrible.”

“It had its moments.” Hotch replied. “Every fraternity has its bad apples but I've enjoyed my time in Alpha Sig despite that.” he smiled. “Sit anywhere you'd like. Sorry for the mess.”

“I kinda like it.” she sat at the desk.

“You do?”

“Yeah, it means you're not perfect.”

“Most of the mess is Morgan’s.” Hotch replied.

“Mmm hmm, sure.” she laughed.

000

“No more, no more, no more,” Emily waved her hands in surrender as she fell back on Hotch’s bed. “I don’t care about Schopenhauer anymore. I'm done. Flip me over, Aaron Hotchner; I am so done.”

“It’s only been…” he looked at his watch. “Oh wow, it’s been two hours. Still, I think…”

“I'm not studying anymore and you can't make me.” she sat up on her elbows. “If I don’t have it by now then to hell with it.”

“OK.”

“OK? You're just gonna let me give up that easily?” she asked.

“I didn’t know I was playing the role of your conscience this evening.”

“You're not.” She shook her head. “I just…I'm tired. This kind of thing used to come easy to me. When I tell you I never studied growing up I am so serious. I've always been good with languages and soak up information like a sponge. Now…”

“This is a lot of information, Emily.” Hotch replied. “Not to mention that you have two majors on top of it.”

“I only have one major. I have two minors.”

“What made you want to study Arabic anyway? I mean, it’s prevalent now but…”

“I lived all over the Middle East from the time I was born until I was ten and my parents divorced.” She said. “We lived in Riyadh, Amman, Tel Aviv, and Damascus. I learned Arabic and English at the same time. I'm fluent in five languages and conversational in close to 12.”

“Holy shit.” He whispered.

“Yeah.”

“That’s impressive. What are you gonna do with your degree?”

“I'm not sure. My dad would be happy if I went to work for the State Department but it won't be easy. Sometimes my last name can be a hindrance, not a help.”

“I know what you mean.”

“You do?”

“My father is a former State Senator in Virginia. People back home have high expectations for me to be my father’s son.”

“Is that why you're going into law?” Emily asked.

“I want to help people; that’s why I'm going into law. I'm never gonna be what my father was and for that I'm eternally grateful. I’ll make my own way.”

“That’s exactly how I feel about my mother. People just don’t seem to get it. I think you get it.” She got up from the bed. “I should probably get out of here. I've taken up enough of your time.”

“Could you stay a little while and hang out? We could watch a movie or…”

“That’s not a good idea, Hotch.” Emily shook her head. She started throwing her books and note cards into her messenger bag.

“So what…you just used me to study?” he asked, grinning.

“What do you want in return for helping me study, Hotch?” she exclaimed. “Do you want a fuckin blowjob or something?”

“Whoa!” he held up his hand. “That is not what I meant. Why do you always do that? You always blow up at me or push me off with oblique warnings. I told you, I like you. I want to spend time with you. I don’t know how many different ways I can say it.

“Wanting to spend time with you does not mean I want a blowjob and dammit I won't let you insult me that way anymore. I don’t know what kind of guys you're used to dealing with but that’s not me, Emily. I shouldn’t be made to feel like it is just because I ask you to stay. What the hell is the matter with you?”

Emily sighed, sitting back on the bed. The room was horribly silent but her mind was screaming. She was supposed to be changing; being a better person. She wasn’t supposed to bite the head off of the guy who had been nothing but sweet to her. This was the hardest thing Emily had ever done. It seemed as if all the bad stuff piled up at the same time. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.

She wasn’t supposed to meet a guy like Hotch while trying to get her life together. The idea of spending more time with him was both appealing and scary as hell. No matter what, Emily couldn’t go back. She couldn’t be that other girl anymore. The lack of trust she had in herself made it difficult to distinguish whether being close with Hotch was a good idea or a very, very bad one.

“I'm sorry.” She finally said. “I didn’t mean to blow up on you like that.”

“You wanna tell me why you do that?” Hotch asked. “I’ll listen to every word, I swear, but you have to talk for me to do that.”

“Hotch, I'm not even sure if I know where to begin. I've spent so many years just being one way and now I'm trying to be something else. I guess I'm just used to other people being one way too. That’s not fair to you…you’ve been nothing but kind. I just can't do this, OK? I'm really sorry. I thought I could but I can't.”

“OK.” He nodded. “I won't push it. I just thought you might want a study break. I wasn’t trying to do anything other than that.”

“I know. Its just with all I'm doing right now, I can't handle this too. I need to go.”

“I understand.” Hotch replied, though he really didn’t. “Good luck on your test, Emily.”

“Thanks, and thanks for helping me. I mean that even if I did act like a douchebag.” She got up, put on her jacket, and slung her bag across her chest. “Goodbye, Hotch.”

He didn’t like the way she said goodbye but there was nothing he could do about it. Obviously, Emily Prentiss had some demons that she needed to slay. He wasn’t going to be a monkey wrench for her. If he really cared about her, and Hotch knew he wanted to if he didn’t already, leaving her alone right now was probably in the best interest of them both. He had enough schoolwork, frat stuff, and extra-curricular activities to help take his mind off his feelings. And if he didn’t then he would pick up something more.

***

“Forgive the intrusion, Big Brother El Jefe, oh great one.” Josh Beardsley walked into the room with his head down.

“Speak, Bloomington.” Dave replied, standing in front of the full-length mirror and putting the finishing touches on his Halloween costume.

“Big Brother Grossbeak says they’ll be ready for your grand arrival in ten minutes, sir.”

“Thank you.”

“May I take a moment to say that Ms. Strauss quite looks lovely this evening, if you don’t mind oh great one.”

“I don’t mind, it’s the truth.”

“Thanks Bloomington.” Erin replied smiling.

“Yes ma'am.” He backed out of the room, closing the door behind him.

“You do look beautiful.” Dave said, looking at his girlfriend.

“You look a little scary but cool at the same time.” she said. “How am I gonna kiss you with that thing on?”

“I'm a pretty sharp guy…I’ll find a way.”

“Before we go out there and the party gets into full swing, I need to ask you something?”

“Sure.” Dave nodded, going back to the mirror.

“What’s going on? You’ve been stoked about this party since the semester started but something heavy has been on you the past week or so. Wanna share the load?”

“Yes, but not quite yet.”

“Are you keeping something from me, David?” Erin asked.

He sighed. He didn’t want to do this right now; the party was about to begin. If she went apeshit, which he’d seen her do once or twice, his good night was as good as over. Of course, if he held it in any longer it would surely cause an ulcer.

“I have been keeping something from you.” He said.

“What?” Erin’s stomach dropped. She didn’t know what she was about to hear or how she would react to it. Reaching down deep, she grabbed her mask and put it on. If he was going to knock the wind out of her sails, Erin Strauss was not about to let it show.

“Apparently I’m so badass, the FBI came to me.”

“What? The FBI did what? What’s going on?”

“I've been recruited into the FBI…Jason and I have been recruited.”

“Oh my God, are you serious?” she wasn’t sure what she heard at first. But as long as Dave wasn’t confessing infidelity, a crime, or something equally horrible, Erin could breathe. She could breathe first and fully comprehend later.

“Yeah.” he nodded.

“Oh my God, that’s fantastic!” She got up from the bed and threw her arms around him.

“Really?” he asked.

“What do you mean really? This is amazing news…right?”

“I thought so but I wasn’t sure how you would take it.”

“David, you're going into the FBI Academy; they recruited you. I'm taking it as good news because it is.”

“I don’t want you going to grad school in New York if I'm here in DC. When I say that I don’t mean to assume I can control your actions. I just don’t want you to leave me, Erin. I don’t want to be apart anymore. The idea of it makes me very unhappy.”

“You’ve been keeping the news from me because of that?”

“Sort of.” Dave replied.

“We’ll talk about it later…all of it. I promise. Right now we need to celebrate your good news and your favorite holiday.”

“I really think I need a kiss.”

“Take that thing off…I can make that happen in a heartbeat.”

000

John started the music for _The Imperial March_ and Dave came down the stairs with Erin at his side. He was dressed in full Darth Vader costume, down to the boots. She was dressed as Princess Leia in Episode IV just as he’d asked her. Everyone was already drinking and they cheered the arrival of the great El Jefe. Erin had to admit she loved being on his arm and getting all the attention too.

But she knew Dave was more than this. She hoped he knew too. Maybe that would be something they would talk about later when they discussed this FBI thing. John handed him the microphone and he pushed the button on his costume that made him breathe deeply like Vader.

“Happy Halloween everybody. Let’s get this party started.”

Def Leppard replaced John Williams’ soaring symphony and people started dancing and conversing. Dave moved right into the thick of the crowd with his girlfriend. This was going to be a good night for him, no matter what happened after. Erin was at his side and nothing could go wrong.

She seemed quite excited about his decision to go into the FBI. She waffled a little on not returning to New York but they would talk about it. They talked about everything. He’d just have to push it to the back of his mind for now and remember to have a good time.

000

“She’s here, Gideon.” Morgan came into the kitchen.

“What? Are you serious?”

“Oh my God, are you sweating? I don’t think I've ever seen you sweat.”

“You're not funny. Last spring break in Miami I was sweating like a whore in church.”

Morgan laughed, slapping his friend’s back.

“She’s here; Salt Lake City told me. And that’s not even the best part.”

“What could be better than the fact that she showed up at all?”

“She’s dressed as Cleopatra.” Morgan said.

“I'm sorry?”

“Dude, she’s Cleopatra. You're Marc Antony and she’s Cleopatra.”

“I don’t believe it.” Jason was breathless.

“Go get her, tiger. She came because you asked her to. That must mean something.”

“Maybe she just wanted to party.”

“You guys have got to get some confidence.” Morgan said, rolling his eyes. “If Nora doesn’t think you're awesome it’s her loss. I just happen to think that she thinks you're awesome.”

“Why do you think that?” Jason asked.

“Cuz she asked me where she could find you.”

“She…”

“Jason?”

He tried to catch his breath as he turned around and put on a smile. Smiling wasn’t something Jason Gideon often did but his mother always assured him that he had a beautiful one. It didn’t have anything on how beautiful she looked in her gold dress and Egyptian crown. Oh my God, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

“You look so amazing.” He said as Morgan walked away.

“I think we had the same idea.” She said. “I like your costume too. Your pledges were very courteous to extend the invitation. They said it was on your behalf.”

“I wanted to ask you myself but…”

“What?” she asked.

“I get quite nervous around you, Nora.” Jason lowered his voice as if it was a secret.

“Why?” she smiled and showed a pair of pretty dimples.

“Purely chemical reasons I'm sure. I'm much more of a social scientist than a natural scientist. I've been meaning to extend the invitation for almost 2 years.”

“I guess I could’ve made the first move. I don’t want to tell you how many times I thought about it. But when we were together, you just…I thought I was way off.”

“I didn’t think that you liked me.”

“Are you serious?” Nora laughed even though she didn’t mean to. “Of course I like you; I thought I was showing you that but I guess I was wrong. I was starting to wonder what I had to do to make you see I wanted to be more than friends. What’s not to like about you?”

“I hope that’s not a trick question. I mean…I have no idea what I mean.”

“I'm here because I wanted to see you tonight. Are you going to show me a good time?”

“Yes.” Jason nodded, holding out his arm. “We can start with a tour of the house.”

“Good idea. And you can tell me what makes a guy like Jason Gideon pledge a fraternity.”

“OK.”

They walked toward the living room arm and arm. Jason wasn’t going to be able to get the grin off his face all night. His brothers would surely think something was wrong with him.

000

“What are we drinking to?” JJ asked as they held the Jell-O shots.

“Can we actually drink these?” Jessie asked laughing.

“I say we drink to maybe seeing our boyfriends again sometime in the near future.” Penelope suggested.

“I was hoping to see mine tonight but they’re all wearing sheets and stupid ‘Hi, my name is’ stickers.” JJ said.

“I can't believe I'm gonna be doing something like this next semester.” Jessie rolled her eyes.

All three girls ate their Jell-O shots and grabbed another.

“Hey.” Sam walked over to them. He was dressed like Mal from _Firefly_ and looked pretty spiffy if he said so himself. He had said so, a couple of times. His brothers agreed with him.

“Hi.” Jessie smiled, slipping her arm around him.

“I pulled a favor for you two.” He told Penelope and JJ. “Ten minutes alone. They’re in the pledge room.”

“Are you serious?” Penelope’s eyes went wide.

“Yeah, but you gotta hurry…the clock’s ticking.”

“Don’t move Jess,” JJ said. “We’ll be back.”

They ate their second Jell-O shot and zoomed off. Sam grabbed a Jell-O shot from a passing ghost. His paisley sheet and sticker gave away that it was Poughkeepsie. He thanked him.

“I really love your costume.” She said. “Penelope turned me on to Firefly right before summer break.”

“I thought it was a pretty cool idea.” He replied. “But its nothing on how amazing you look tonight.”

“Thanks. I can admit to being a secret Trekker for most of my life. My dad and I watched the original series when I was growing up and I loved all the movies. My sister always called me a geek.”

“You're the prettiest geek in the room, Jessie Brooks.”

She’d chosen Valeris from _Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country_ for her Halloween costume. It was a short red uniform with her Starfleet communicator on it, black tights, and black heeled boots. She wore the traditional Vulcan mushroom wig and ears. Sam was beside himself but tried to keep his cool.

“Thank you for the compliment. It was cool of you to do that for JJ and Penelope.”

“I know we've been working the pledges hard; we’re supposed to. We give them time for class but not much else. I thought a few minutes of personal time would remind them that we’re not slave drivers.”

“If anyone finds out…”

“Nah, its cool.” Sam shook his head. “I wouldn’t have done it if Jason didn’t give me permission. It’s an authorized, if all too short, visit.”

“I guess I'm kinda lucky you're already a brother.” She said. “Though you might not see much of me next semester.”

“I don’t want to think about that tonight. We’ve got plenty of time to be together.” he slipped his arms around her.

“I don’t know if Vulcans are supposed to feel what I'm feeling right now.” Jessie whispered.

“I've been asking people to pinch me since the moment I met you, Jessie.”

Jessie pinched him.

“Ow.” Sam laughed. “Nope, I'm still dreaming.”

She smiled, kissing him. Sam hardly wanted to stop but they really had just met. Overwhelming feelings or not, and he was happily overwhelmed, there was more to learn about each other before they went that route. He could wait, he would wait, but…a few more kisses wouldn’t hurt.

“Is it supposed to be this easy?” Sam asked between kisses. “Falling for someone?”

“I wouldn’t know. I've dated before but I don’t know anyone like you, Sam. You’re very special.”

“Ditto. So you think you wanna be my girl?”

“I thought I already was.” Jessie laughed.

“Well let’s call this the official announcement.” Sam replied.

“Our anniversary can't be on Halloween. That’s too weird.”

“You pick any day you want…as long as you say yes.”

“Yes, Sam Kassmeyer. Absolutely yes.”

000

He wasn’t having fun. He was trying to have fun, his brothers told him to shake it off, but he couldn’t. Instead he stood out on the porch drinking his Jack and Coke. There were a few stragglers around, talking, smoking, making out, and ducking in when the mandatory police cars drove by to make sure some semblance of control was maintained. It was a chilly night; Halloween usually welcomed the onset of winter weather. Minus a few days here and there over the next month, the lazy, hazy days of autumn were gone.

Sighing, Hotch leaned on the column and thought about her. He wished he could read the book of Emily Prentiss, just a page. He wanted to be friends. OK, maybe he wanted more but he wanted to be friends right now. It seemed as if Emily wasn’t willing though. Every time Hotch got close, she pushed him away. Each push was harder than the one that came before. If that wasn’t a sign to back off, he didn’t know what was. Yet here he sat pining for her.

She was fun; full of life…she was something that he wasn’t. She knew all the words to every song that played in the jukebox at Mickey’s. She could hold her liquor, mostly, and apparently her secrets. She was strong and beautiful and mysterious and when she smiled at him he felt like a fool. He was a fool.

“Hey.”

“Jesus!” Hotch turned around, holding his chest. “Don’t sneak up on me like that. You almost gave me a coronary.”

“At your age,” Emily smiled. “You should take better care of yourself. Nice costume.”

“I've always been a Tommy Lee Jones fan.” He replied. “I tried to get Morgan to dress up like Will Smith…I thought he was gonna slug me. Who are you supposed to be?”

Emily wore black satin Capri pants, a white shell with an open neck and a black sweater. She wore black ballet flats on her feet and a brown wig with a white headband. The wig had big bangs in the front and was flipped in the back. It was chin length.

“Patty Lane.” She said.

“Who?”

“You’ve never heard of Patty Lane?”

“I've heard of Penny Lane.”

“It’s _The Patty Duke Show_ , Hotch…identical cousins.”

“Nope.” He shook his head.

“Were you sheltered as a kid?” Emily asked.

“Probably.” He grinned.

“Well I grew up in many places where the West was considered amoral at best. But they played Nick at Nite. Those old shows from the 50s and 60s were seen as idealistic. People towed the line, were respectful, honest, and devoted to their God and their country.

“It was acceptable television for kids who had like one channel. I fell in love with The Patty Duke Show. The costume was the best I could do on short notice. I borrowed the wig from one of my sisters who likes to…change for people.”

“Do I want to know what that means?”

“I don’t think so.” she shook her head.

“I didn’t expect to see you tonight. After the last time…”

“Can we talk?” Emily asked.

“We are talking.”

“I mean can we really talk? There are some things I wanna say but it'll be hard because I've never said them aloud. I think you might be different, Hotch, and even if I'm wrong and you…I just want to talk to you.”

“You wanna get a drink or…?”

“No.” Emily shook her head. “It’s nice and quiet out here; lets just sit.”

“Sure.”

He sat down on the top step and she sat beside him. The party was jumping inside; Jamie Foxx was already blaming it on the alcohol. He knew some of her sisters were in there. He’d seen Elle and a few others on his rounds earlier that night. Yet, she didn’t seem in a big rush to be with them.

He was happy to share a little of her time though Hotch had a feeling something was getting ready to happen. He didn’t know what but it was big, and heavy. He wasn’t sure if he was ready for it but would do his best. If Emily wanted to share then he wanted to listen.

“I don’t want to say I'm running from my past cuz that would be so damn cliché and I've been through enough. I don’t need to turn my journey into a Lifetime movie.”

“OK.”

“I um…man Hotch, I've done a lot. I've fucked a lot of people, I've done a lot of drugs, drank too much; I shamed myself. I don’t want to be that girl anymore. That girl was lonely, sad, sick, depraved, and fuckin nuts. I've got a rep and that’s no one’s fault but my own. There are people out there who will never see me as anything but that girl. I want to hate them but how can I? I was her for so damn long.

“When I was a little girl I was a stranger in a strange land. But I got through by focusing on my studies. It’s why I'm so good at Arabic…I put my whole heart and mind into it. But when my parents divorced and my mom and I moved on, I was in a different place. There were kids there, teens and preteens like me.”

Emily took a deep breath, pulling a slim, sterling silver case from her pocket. He smelled that sweet smell again; he thought it might be black cherry. When she lit one and took a deep inhale, he heard her ragged breath.

Glancing at her out of the corner of his eye he knew Emily was willing herself not to cry. He hoped that her will held up. Not because he couldn’t handle it but there would be no way to stop himself from holding her and never letting go. The feelings were so overwhelming that Hotch stuck his hands in his pockets.

“They had too much time on their hands and little to no supervision in a place where a diplomat’s kid could do damn near anything they wanted.” She went on. “They didn’t want to hang out with a language geek. So if I didn’t want to be lonelier than I already was, I had to change. And boy did I. I had to be the coolest, the baddest, the hippest…whatever the fuck. Little did I know that I was fucking myself more than any of those men ever could.

“I even deluded myself into thinking that I was that girl for awhile. I think that was the only way to survive. I'm not her, but she follows me around like a dark shadow. I'm not telling you this sad ass story so you can feel sorry for me, Hotch. I just…I'm changing. I'm putting the focus back on my brain and my heart and what I want to be. I don’t give a damn anymore what ‘those people’ want me to be.

“If I kept doing what I was doing for much longer, I would’ve probably died in a pool of my own vomit. Some people would've cried, gave me a hell of a wake, and then forgotten about me. That girl didn’t do a damn thing to be remembered. It’s why she had to up the ante every time. I ran out of steam. I'm scared of sliding back.

“It’s why I'm sure my friendship with Elle isn’t gonna last much longer. We’ll always love each other, always be sisters, but I feel it ending. I can live with that…some relationships will be sacrificed for me to be the real Emily. Of course I hardly know who she is. But I want this, this journey. I want it more than anything.

“I want to meet new people and do new things and live the life that makes me happy. I want to be your friend. I surely want to stop yelling at you because you're a good guy. It’s not your fault that I can't quite trust that. My issues are mine but I thought if I told you then you might understand a little. I thought you might bear with me for a while. You know?”

He was quiet. It was a combination of not knowing what to say and not being sure if she was done talking. He took a deep breath and looked at her.

“I can't say I don’t care who you used to be, I do in the sense that she’s a part of you too.” Hotch said. “But that’s not the girl I like. I like you, Emily. You make me smile. You bring this light with you even if you don’t realize you're bringing it.

“You're good to your friends and you're a good person. You may not have always been, I don’t know. I do know that I'm not gonna judge you. I don’t expect you to fall in bed with me or give me any sexual favors. Anything that happens between us will be because we both want it to; because we know that the other person is very special.

“If that’s just friendship, I'm OK with that. No, I'm not,” Hotch sighed. “It’s better to be honest right now. I want to be your man…God I do. I want to love you, be with you, share our lives, and all the other things a guy wants with a great girl. I know I live in a slight fantasy world about the whole thing and some people tell me that I have a hero complex. They say I want to save everyone. Don’t hold that against me. I don’t want to be the rock that trips you up. I understand how important it is for you to take this journey.

“I'm here for you though, in any capacity you need. That’s better than losing you altogether, which I'm not sure I can bear. I think it’s important for us to be friends, know each other well before we dive into anything deeper. That will be good for both of us. If you need a study buddy, I'm here. If you need a shoulder or an ear, that’s me. If you wanna cuddle…I can do that too.”

“Cuddle?” she looked at him. “Seriously?”

“Yes, I'm serious. Sometimes holding on to someone, knowing they’re holding on too is a powerful thing. You’ll never turn me against cuddling.”

“I was considering it but it sounds kinda nice when you put it that way.”

“Point is, I care about you and I'm not going anywhere.” Hotch went on. “Just getting to know you, even the side of you that you're leaving behind, will only make me like you more.”

“How do you know that?” Emily asked.

“I have a sixth sense about these things. I don’t question it…I go with the flow.”

“Well I wanna be friends too, Hotch. I just don’t want to backslide and have this become like everything else. It means more than that to me already.”

“There will be no sex.” Hotch said. “There, I said it. It’s on the table now…lets all wave at the elephant in the room.” he waved. “Hi Mr. Elephant; sex, sex, sex, sex, sex.”

“Oh my God, Hotch; I think you might be insane.” she laughed. “That’s what I like about you, you know. Well that and you always wear button down shirts. My dad wears them too and I know guys don’t like being compared to dads but there’s something comforting about your shirts.”

Hotch was happy that some people could find comfort in thoughts and memories of their fathers. He certainly wasn’t one of them. Maybe it was old-fashioned but he thought Emily couldn’t be a lost cause with a positive paternal role model. Could she? He wouldn’t ask the question aloud. Things were going well. The last thing he needed was to be slapped across the mouth.

“I've never…I want my first time to be amazing. I don’t care if that’s cliché; people deserve a couple of good clichés. Perhaps if you approach me like a virgin then you'll stay clean. Does that make any sense?”

“It almost does.” Emily managed a smile. “Wow, I haven’t been a virgin in a long time.”

“Don’t go spreading that around or anything. I mean my virgin story, not yours.”

“Mine already got around, believe me.” She shook her head, trying to forget the way it all went down. She was so ashamed afterward and promised from then on that she would always maintain control. Emily wasn’t able to keep that promise. “This new information might keep my nose clean…and yours too. Thanks.”

“See, that’s what friends are for.” Hotch reached for her hand. He hoped his squeeze was reassuring. Emily exhaled and put her head on his shoulder. “Do you wanna get that drink now? I’m sure there are some people inside who would be happy to see you.”

“OK.” She nodded. Maybe it would be OK; maybe Hotch was different. Even if romance never came to pass being friends would be good for them.

Hotch stood up from the step and pulled her up. Emily wrapped her arms around him; she held on tight and he did too. Hotch wasn’t much of a hugger…he just wasn’t that guy. Here she was spilling her guts to him and all he could think was that he would never, ever be brave enough to do such a thing. He couldn’t bare his soul; feared nothing would be left if he did. The shallow end of his brethren thought there was nothing to reveal just because he wasn’t having sex.

There was always something to reveal and Hotch had a feeling he and Emily Prentiss had even more in common now that he knew some of her secrets. He was sure this wasn’t even the tip of the iceberg. But there was time, they weren't going to rush. They were going to get this right…he hoped.

They walked into the party just in time to see the pledges, 6 from Alpha Sig and 7 from Sigma Sigma Sigma, burning up the living room floor to Michael Jackson’s _Wanna Be Startin Something_. Between the 13 of them, the rhythm had left the building. At least the girls had more to shake than the boys did. Then suddenly, as if struck by the rhythm and unable to control himself anymore, one pledge started to jam. It was St. Paul, known to some as Jimmy Palmer.

He was wearing a red silk sheet and a little ‘Hi, my name is’ sticker. It turned out the kid could really dance. His brothers, well they were almost his brothers, started to hoot and holler. Some of them even threw a couple of dollars on the floor around him. The partygoers were cheering for him; he seemed to be driven by the music. When the song ended, Dave Rossi, the great El Jefe himself, put his arm around Jimmy.

“Pledge St. Paul, everybody. Apparently the kid has rhythm in his soul. Give him a hand…give them all a hand.”

The crowd erupted in wild cheers and even though he was covered by that silly sheet, Emily knew the kid was smiling. That kind of acknowledgment, by the chapter President, would make any pledge’s day.

“I think Jimmy’s feet aren’t gonna touch the ground again until he goes over.” Emily said to Hotch as they made their way to the beer bar.

***

“Alone at last.” Jason handed Nora the cup of tea and sat down beside her on his couch.

It was late, almost 3am, and the party was over. The house was empty except for the brothers, the pledges, and some stragglers protecting themselves from the rain. A storm was rolling through, drenching the capital and bringing thunder and lightning. The lights had dimmed and even flickered a few times but for the most part they were still up and running. Jason couldn’t believe that Nora was still there.

He’d asked her to stay, didn’t want her walking or driving anywhere in this weather. He hoped she knew he was being a gentleman and anything beyond that was his sheer dumb luck. It had been a long time since he prayed for anything. Would it be unfair to pray for it to keep raining? Being plunged in the dark with Nora would not be a bad thing.

“I had fun tonight.” She replied.

“Until you got stuck here with me that is.” Jason smiled. “I didn’t even know rain was in the forecast.”

“I'm not stuck, Jason; I could’ve braved the elements. I'm a big girl. I stayed because I'm having fun with you. What kind of tea did you bring me?”

“Chamomile…it helps me relax.”

“Are you feeling relaxed?” Nora moved closer to him on the couch.

“I, I was.” He stammered some.

“I'm sorry I make you so nervous.” She put the tea on the side table and her arms around Jason’s neck. “It’s adorable but a bit perplexing.”

“I'm not sorry. Man should always know that something is bigger and stronger than he is, even if that something is not entirely tangible.”

“Your emotions?” Nora asked, stroking the raven curls at the nape of his neck.

“Yes.” He nodded. Jason couldn’t say anything else. He tensed and then melted from her touch.

“What are your emotions telling you right now?” She leaned closer to him, gave him Eskimo kisses.

“Oh no, you'll slap me for sure if I say.”

“Now you have to tell me.” She laughed.

“All I want to do is kiss you, Nora. I think I've wanted to do that since the first day I met you. I want to hold you,” Jason slipped his arms around her. “I want to kiss you, touch you, and make you mine. But…”

“But what?”

Nora kissed him. She didn’t need to hear anymore and knew from experience there was no use waiting for Jason Gideon to make the first move. He invited her to the party, told her that he liked her just as much as she liked him. That was all she needed to know.

They were both grownups and could handle a grownup situation. Nora wasn’t usually the type to walk into something without over thinking it times a trillion. She was a serious pros, cons, theories, and pie charts kinda girl. She didn’t want to over think this. She wanted to feel it; wanted to feel him, and that’s exactly what she planned to do. He was doing a pretty good job of feeling her already.

000

“Are you sure John’s OK with sleeping in the pledge room?” Jessie asked, climbing into Sam’s bed.

He was distracted for a moment as he tied the blue sock on the door knob and closed the door. He’d never had a girl in his bed before. He surely never thought Jessie would be so eager to just jump in. She didn’t seem nervous, which he was, and Sam couldn’t figure out why.

“There's a really comfortable couch down there.” he finally replied. “The pledges don’t need it; they get sleeping bags on the floor.”

“That doesn’t sound very nice.”

“There’s shag carpeting…it could be worse. They get pillows too. We didn’t get pillows when we pledged.”

Lightning flashed across the sky and the lamp flickered. It was followed by a loud, crackling burst of thunder. Jessie shivered and that’s what got Sam in bed. He didn’t know if she was scared of the storm or not but he would be there to hold onto if she was. Getting in the bed did nothing but make his heart pound faster.

He knew he was probably being a dork but he liked Jessie, a lot. He never wanted her to think he was only after one thing. Lots of guys were but Sam Kassmeyer wasn’t that guy. He had a pulse, he was turned on for sure, but she was safe with him.

“Let’s take a look at some of the pictures you took tonight.” He grabbed the digital camera from his nightstand. Yes, the pictures would be the perfect distraction.

“Oh yeah!” Jessie moved closer to him. The bed wasn’t quite full size but it wasn’t as small as her twin in the dorms either. It was perfect for the two of them. “I didn’t take all of these. Penelope took some, you took some, and…I took that one. I think it’s perfect.”

It was the two of them sitting on the stairs in the front hallway. Sam had the biggest cheese grin on his face and Jessie’s arms were wrapped around him. There were lots of pictures of the two of them tonight, but that’s what couples did. They took lots of pictures and made memories. Jessie had so many good memories and their night was still young.

Sam was hers now; she’d wanted him from the moment she saw him in Mickey’s. Their first handshake was purely physical, chemical, Penelope told her. But in just three short weeks she’d fallen hard for him. She never thought something like that was possible. In fact, Jessie was sure that true love was a figment of writers’ imaginations.

It sold lots of books and greeting cards but wasn’t real. She saw her parents’ relationship growing up; it wasn’t the most shining example of true love. Sure, they were fine as separate individuals but as a couple it just never really worked. And yet they were still married. Neither of them wanted to concede failure where the relationship was concerned.

Pretending to love each other rather than concede failure…it made Jessie’s stomach turn. That all changed with Sam. Everything changed with him. She felt dizzy and giddy and even scared out of her mind. It was the best feeling in the world.

“I like it too.” he replied. “It’ll be fun to get some of these developed.”

“I can do it from my computer. I have all of the equipment and even have photo paper.”

“I want this one,” he pointed to one of them cuddling on the living room couch. “For my nightstand.”

“OK.” She nodded.

When more lightning came through and the lights flickered again, Sam thought it might be a good idea to turn them off altogether. Now they lay in the dark, in bed, side by side. They were both on their backs and Sam held Jessie’s hand.

“I can't really sleep on my back, Sam.” She said after a few minutes.

“How do you usually sleep?”

“I sleep on my side. Do you mind if I turn like this?” she turned over and cuddled up close to him.

“Nope, I don’t mind.” Sam was sure he gasped when her leg moved over his. He wrapped his arm around her back. Jessie used his chest for a pillow and Sam hoped she didn’t hear his heart thumping. She had to if he could hear it. “Are you OK, Jess?”

“Mmm hmm.” She nodded. “This is quite cozy.”

“I have to agree. I've never really liked storms. I used to go into my Dad’s room and ask to sleep with him when they got bad. I had this tree right outside my window and I used to swear I could see goblins in it when the lightning flashed. I should've never watched _Poltergeist_ as a child. Surely it scarred me for life.”

“Yeah, probably. I feel the same about _When a Stranger Calls_. Why did you let me do that?” She asked giggling. “I'm not a big fan of loud thunder either. But I feel safe here with you.”

Sam smiled; he tilted her chin upward and kissed her. It was supposed to be a goodnight kiss but it quickly turned into something more. There were more kisses, sweet caresses, soft moans, and that little noise Sam made in the back of his throat when he was turned on. He hadn't heard that noise in years…had simply forgotten it existed.

But it was back and a fire raged inside of him like an inferno. He took off his tee shirt but only after Jessie tugged at it. She nipped at his bottom lip, Sam quivered against her. He pulled her tighter to him and feared they were going past the point of no return. How was that possible with clothes on? Well, most of their clothes.

“Jess…”

“Hmm?” she nibbled his ear while stroking his back.

“We um…” Sam cleared his throat. He put a little distance between them even if he didn’t want to. “This feels so right but…I don’t want you to think that I'm only after one thing. You mean more than that to me.”

“You are the sweetest guy on the face of the earth.” She took his face in her hands. “I'm a big girl, Sam. If I didn’t want to, I would just say no.”

“No matter how much I want you, I won't go too far.” He stopped talking before he said how much he wanted her. Surely his body had already betrayed him.

“What's too far?”

“I think you know what I mean.”

“Well there are lots of fun places in between.” Jessie replied, pulling him close again. “Don’t you agree?”

“Yeah. And you're OK with that?” he asked.

“Yes Sam.” she nodded, took off her shirt too, and smiled.

Her smile lit the whole room. This time when he kissed her, Sam didn’t hold back. There were a million places in between and he would be a happy man if they reached every single one of them or just a handful. It was Halloween but suddenly it felt like Christmas and his birthday all wrapped up in one. He wondered what it felt like to Jessie. When she softly moaned his name, Sam thought it might feel the exact same way.

000

“You're so silly.” She laughed as Dave danced in front of the mirror.

Erin was sitting his bed, wearing one of his many frat tee shirts. He still wore the Darth Vader head even though he was dressed in his pajama bottoms and no shirt. He’d been making her laugh striking poses of both male models and Sith intimidation.

“Damn, I love your laugh.” he was smiling too but she couldn’t see that. Dave thought she could probably feel it.

“Come to bed, it’s late. And take that thing off.”

“You don’t wanna piece of Vader, baby? Once you go Jedi…”

“No thanks.” Erin shook her head laughing.

Dave pulled the head off, leaving it in his desk chair. Then he dove into bed and scooped her up in his arms. There was more laughter as he covered her in sweet kisses. Erin wrapped her arms around him, stroking her fingers through his hair.

“I love you, David Rossi.”

“I love you too. I'm so glad you're back…nothing was the same when you were gone.”

“It’s best to have our adventures now.” Erin replied. “That’s what my father always says. He says I'm going to look back on this time in my life and be happy I enjoyed the trivial things.”

“Your father thinks I'm a trivial thing, Erin.”

“I know that.” She hugged Dave close. “He’s wrong.”

“I don’t want to be the cause of a rift between you two. I know how much you love him.”

“I love my father very much. I love and admire him. But he raised me to be intelligent, strong, fearless, and some other things that I'm not quite yet. He constructed a strong foundation for which I’ll build my own life. Maybe it'll be my life with you.”

“Maybe?” Dave raised his eyebrow.

“Well…”

“Well what?” He was clearly upset. “Maybe, Erin?”

“What did I say that was wrong?” she asked.

“How many more ways can I tell you that I love you? You want me to bare my soul, woman? I will bare my damn soul. I’ll do whatever I have to.”

“David,” She caressed his face. “I'm not trying to make you do something like that, I mean it. But you have to understand that I don’t want to assume anything either. If I do then I could get hurt. That’s not fair to me. You understand that don’t you?”

He nodded, holding her close again. They lay back in the bed and Dave took a deep breath. There were so many things he wanted to say; he’d made plans. He was going to spend too much money on dinner, have her serenaded by the pledges, and then say everything he needed to say. That wasn’t even necessary. Here they were in bed, on All Saint’s Day, and now was the time.

“I don’t want you to go to Fordham or Columbia for graduate school because they’re too far away. I want you to be here with me in DC. Well, Jason and I will be in Quantico training to be in the FBI and you can study here at American, which is one of the best schools for International Relations in the country. You said it yourself, Erin, your father constructed a strong foundation on which you'll build your life.

“I want you to build that life with me. You make me happy and I think I can make you happy too. No, I can make you happy…I do make you happy. So marry me and I can stop worrying that I'm gonna lose you, cuz it scares me shitless. Marry me because I love you so much sometimes I can't breathe.”

“You're not gonna lose me.” Erin shook her head, holding on tighter to him. “I love you too; you’re El Jefe.”

“Aww c'mon…”

“No, listen to me.” she sat up and really looked at him. “You’re the man, David; everyone wants to bask in your glow. When I'm on your arm people notice me. Sometimes it’s kinda awesome and sometimes I wish we could turn it off. But all the glory, or whatever it is, it never changed you. I mean hell, you'd still be a cocky bastard even if you weren't El Jefe.”

“True.” he nodded.

“And you have this other side that nobody sees but me. This sweet side, this soft side; its wonderful. That’s who I fell in love with it. That’s who I want to spend the rest of my life with. And if we sometimes have to make room for an appearance from the great and powerful El Jefe and his blonde bombshell…I can live with that too. But I'm not going anywhere because when I'm not with you, I'm not happy.”

“So you'll marry me?” Dave asked.

“I would like to be asked properly please.”

“Yes ma'am.” Dave was grinning from ear to ear as he sat up in bed. He got up, went over to the drawer, and pulled out a box. “I was going to wait until our anniversary but this is even better.” He got down on one knee in front of the bed where she was sitting. “Erin Camille Strauss, will you do me the honor and give me the immense pleasure of becoming my wife?”

“Yes!” she practically shouted it, pulling him back into the bed with her. Erin kissed him passionately; she never wanted to stop and wouldn’t have to. Sometime during the onslaught, Dave took hold of her hand and slipped the ring on. “Oh my God, its…David, it’s too much.”

“No, it’s perfect.”

“How much did you spend…?”

“Baby,” he put his finger on her lips. “It’s perfect. When I saw it I knew you had to have it and now you do. Tell me that you love it. I mean, it’s OK if you don’t but not because it’s too expensive. It’s about buying you something perfect. I know you don’t care about the material junk but this was my moment to get it absolutely right. Did I get it right?”

“Of course you did. It’s the most beautiful ring in the world, and I love it.”

It was a 24 karat white gold ring with platinum prongs and three .50 princess cut diamonds. The box said Tiffany and Erin didn’t even want to think of what he paid for it. Erin’s family was very well off but the Rossis were middle class. That didn’t matter to her but she never wanted Dave to think that he had to lavish her with expensive things to make her happy.

As long as it was the two of them, nothing else mattered. The ring was amazing though. She couldn’t wait it show it to her sisters and her parents. Her father would never think it was good enough but that didn’t matter to Erin. Dave mattered to Erin; he had from the moment they met.

“Then we’re done talking.” Dave pulled her to him and Erin grabbed the covers to throw over them.

000

“Have you ever been to sleep away camp, Emily?”

“No.”

“This is kind of like that. Hanging out late, telling each other stories, threatening to dip the hand of the first person who falls asleep in water.”

“Why would you do that?” she asked.

“It’ll make them pee themselves. I mean, I've been told that…never happened to me.”

“That is totally a boy thing.” Emily laughed, shaking her head. “You didn’t have to sleep in Morgan’s bed, Hotch. I think we would’ve been OK.”

“I just want you to be comfortable.” He replied.

“You want yourself to be comfortable too.”

“Yeah,” Hotch nodded. “I do. It was fine anyway; Morgan had other plans.”

“He finally caught up with that saucy Latina who had thus eluded him?”

“Her name is Tina Lopez. I knew when she came dressed as a Catholic schoolgirl that the chase was over.”

“Does every guy have that fantasy?” Emily asked.

“I'm gonna have to say yes.”

“What other fantasies do guys have? I mean do you guys only think about Catholic schoolgirls, cheerleaders, women in prison, and anything involving Pam Grier?”

“Why are you asking me?” Hotch asked. He turned on his side, rested his chin in his palm, and looked at her. She was curled up in his bed and Hotch smiled thinking about his sheets smelling like her. Emily looked comfortable; looked like a weight was lifted from her. He was grateful for whatever small role he might have played in that.

“Last time I checked you were a guy. It’s kinda nice to have one just to talk to.”

“About sexual fantasies?”

“Sure, why not? I mean we can talk about anything we want. This just happens to be the subject at the moment. I was just wondering your take on it.”

“I don’t really have a take on it.”

“Liar.” Emily said in a sneeze. “You're a…how old are you?”

“I’ll be 22 tomorrow as a matter of fact.” Hotch replied.

“You're a 22 year old guy. You’ve got a repertoire of sexual fantasies longer than my arm. C'mon on, Hotch, I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

He really wanted to hear what she fantasized about but knew they were skating on thin ice. They probably always would be. Emily was an open book about some things. He thought this was so most people wouldn’t notice that she actually kept much more inside herself and to herself than they realized. She could talk about sex all day long…it never meant anything to her. Hotch wasn’t the same; he had hopes for true love and all the fixings. Maybe he was as naïve as she was cynical.

“I say we wait. It’s always better when you wait.”

“No instant gratification?” Emily asked.

“Not tonight.” He laughed a bit. “I'm glad you came though and had some fun. I wasn’t feeling like much of a party animal, then you arrived and…I felt a lot better.”

“Well Halloween doesn’t fall on a weekend very often. It would’ve been a shame to waste it. Plus I wanted to talk to you before I lost my nerve.”

“It’s hard for me to imagine you losing your nerve.”

“Wait until you get to know me better.” Emily shivered as thunder and lightning came through in rapid succession. “God, I hate storms.”

“Are you alright over there?” Hotch asked.

“Yeah, I’ll probably just cover my head with a pillow. Fear not…I'm not ignoring you.”

“We should probably get to sleep anyway. Between the storm and the random sounds of hooking up all over this house I think its time to call it a night.”

“Goodnight, Hotch.” Emily pulled a pillow from under her head and put it over.

“Goodnight.” He grinned at something that looked kinda silly but would surely block out some of the noise.

He wasn’t sure if Emily was falling asleep or not but he stayed up for a while. He stayed up and thought about some of the things she’d told him tonight. It was surely the abridged version of things she’d mentioned over the past few weeks. It was strange that he’d known her just over a month but felt so invested in this relationship; this potential relationship.

Morgan had known Emily since freshman year. How come he never introduced Hotch to her? Of course, people met when they were supposed to. He knew he would’ve been uncomfortable seeing the person she used to be. This was their moment, not then.

“Go to sleep, Hotch.” she muttered. “I can hear you thinking. It’s too loud.”

“Haha. I am going to sleep, really.”

This time he turned over and closed his eyes. It might take a while, this wasn’t his bed, but he would get to sleep eventually. Hotch didn’t even know why he bothered since it was almost morning anyway, but that’s why man invented Sunday brunch.

***

Dave’s phone beeped and he reached over to grab it. Erin moved out of his arms, turning over in bed as he got up. It was five thirty and the text was from Jason. ‘ _We’re heading back…mission accomplished_ ’.

He groped around blindly in the dark for his boxer shorts. Then he threw on his Hanes tee shirt. In the drawer he got some socks, a pair of jeans, a long sleeved shirt, and finally grabbed his Alpha Sigma Phi jacket from the chair. Then he was back in the bed giving Erin a kiss.

“Where are you going?” she mumbled, still asleep.

Dave smiled, thinking how she probably wouldn’t remember this conversation later. Sleepy Erin was always fun.

“I gotta handle some business, baby. I might be back before you even wake up.”

“Be gentle, El Jefe.”

“And walk with a big stick.” He finished, kissing her once more before leaving the room.

The house was quiet because the brothers weren't there. They were out on a mission and the President was the only one who had the luxury of sleeping. He grabbed the pledge paddle from the wall and went out onto the porch. November 15th was a cold Wednesday morning and Greek Row was silent. The sun hadn't come up yet but he saw his brothers and his pledges coming down the street.

They were weary but the pledges were singing the Fraternity Song with their pledge master. The other brothers looked as if all they wanted to do was sleep. Derek, Adam, John, and a few others had their first, or maybe fifth, cup of coffee. Jason stood at the bottom of the stairs and looked up at Dave.

“Big brother, may we enter?” he asked.

“You may.” Dave nodded.

He moved aside watching his brothers move up the steps and go into the house. Their numbers had dwindled; there were only 18 active brothers at the moment. Six graduated last year and they would soon lose another four. The numbers would grow again; it was about more than numbers anyway. Six was a respectable pledge class and they would probably have more in the spring…the freshmen were coming. Pledges pulled up the rear and soon they were all in the house.

In the living room, the brothers sat, except for Dave, Jason, and Sergeant-at-Arms Sam Cooper, while the pledges stood. They looked beat having been up for the past 22 or so hours. But it was almost over. Dave wasn’t even sure if they knew that. Rational thought was difficult this late in the game.

“Your pledge master tells me that you’ve succeeded in your mission.” Dave said. “Which pledge speaks for you?”

“I speak for my pledge brothers, Big Brother El Jefe, oh great one.” Ryan Scott, know as Allentown, stepped up. His jeans were dirty, torn, and there was dirt streaked on his face. “Mission accomplished sir, and we have the evidence to prove it.” he handed Dave a digital camera.

“This should be a fun slide show for us to enjoy before the Thanksgiving holidays. Thank you, Allentown, step back in line.”

“Thank you, Big Brother El Jefe, oh great one.”

“For the past almost eight weeks, I've watched you guys grow and learn under the tutelage of your great pledge master. I admit that there were one or two of you I didn’t think would make it. Some were soft; some a little too hard. But all of you showed dedication and heart. You showed humility and ingenuity. And St. Paul even showed that sometimes you gotta dance, man.”

The brothers laughed and so did the pledges. They honestly didn’t know what was going to happen now. They heard rumors they could be pledging right up to Thanksgiving weekend.

They also heard sometimes the President liked to pretend he was bringing you over into the frat, only to renege at the last minute. That was almost like the poison Kool-Aid test. All they knew was that no matter what happened this morning, they were one step closer to getting some sleep. Reid didn’t even know if he would make it through Rossi’s speech…he was dead weight on his Chucks.

“It gives me great pleasure to welcome you boys into our family. You're men now, and will conduct yourselves as such. When you're out there in the world, you're Alpha Sig forever. Your behavior reflects who we are and what we’ve taught you. You must always respect the Phoenix; you must respect your fellow brothers, and respect yourself. You six are family…nothing breaks you apart. Do you understand me?”

“Yes sir, Big Brother El Jefe, oh great one!” they all exclaimed in unison.

“Step forward St. Paul.” Dave said.

Jimmy stepped up, giving a nervous look back to his fellow pledges. Sam Cooper came to stand beside Dave. He was holding a swath of red velvet to represent the fraternity’s color of cardinal. Dave grabbed a pin from the velvet. He took off Jimmy’s pledge pin.

“From this day forward, you are no longer Pledge St. Paul. You shall henceforth be called Big Brother Night Fever.” He pinned the fraternity pen to the lapel of his red running jacket. “Welcome brother.”

“Thank you, Big Brother El Jefe, oh great one.”

“Stand over there amongst your brothers.”

Jimmy’s grin was a mile wide as he did just that. Allentown stepped up next. His pledge name was dropped as well and he became Big Brother Modus Operandi. This was a tribute to his desire to study law.

Poughkeepsie became Big Brother Magic Man, a joke about his love of magic and his lack of finesse with women. Bloomington was now Big Brother Kodiak, homage to his Alaskan roots. Salt Lake City would be Big Brother Southern Comfort. He was from New Orleans and had that smooth southern drawl.

“Step forward, Fresno.” Dave said.

Kevin stepped forward. He was already grinning; he knew what was coming.

“All of the brothers got together and decided that we didn’t want you. Maybe next year kid.” He patted his shoulder and went to walk away.

Kevin’s face fell. He looked at his former pledges and his not so soon-to-be brothers. This couldn’t be happening. It just couldn’t be happening. Dave burst into laughter before he got halfway across the room. He came back and stood in front of Kevin again.

“Just kidding, Fresno. You were one of my faves. You're a little strange but you got heart and I like that. You fixed my fiancée’s laptop; that was good of you. You eat weird ass foods and seem to be under the mistaken impression that you're good on a skateboard.

“These guys,” he pointed to the former pledges. “They wouldn’t have been complete without your guidance, friendship, and your ability to make a damn fine sandwich. From this day forward you shall be known as Big Brother Scooby Snack, because you know how to party and you definitely know how to enjoy some grub. Welcome to the family.”

“Thank you Big Brother El Jefe, oh great one.” He threw his arms around him.

“Now I don’t know about you guys but I have a very beautiful woman upstairs and I’d like to join her. So we sing to our brotherhood and then we all get some sleep. On three…”

 _For he's an Alpha Sig,  
He's a man you ought to know,  
For he's an Alpha Sig,  
He's not too fast and not too slow,  
He's a gentleman and a scholar  
with a heart beneath his vest;  
He looks like all the others,  
but he's better than the rest!  
For he's an Alpha Sig,  
He's a man you ought to, a man you want to,  
a man you're sure to know!_

There was some cheering, some man hugs, and poor St. Paul, who wasn’t St. Paul anymore, just fell over on the couch. Dave and Jason looked at them all and then smiled at each other.

“We did a good job, brother.” Dave said.

“I would say so. This is a good group of kids. They’ll continue the traditions we hold dear well into the future.”

“We were a little easier on them than in the past though. We need to talk about that.”

“I don’t like…”

“Yes, Gandhi, I know.” Dave patted Jason’s back. “We don’t have to beat them into submission but it shouldn’t be a cakewalk either. A little sleep deprivation is good for the spirit. Still, those kids held their own. I'm proud of them. I'm proud of all of us.”

“Me too.” Jason smiled.

“And now I'm going back to my bed. Wanna do lunch later?”

“If I'm awake, I’ll be there. Man hug?”

“Why the hell not?”

They hugged and then Dave went back to his bedroom. The morning hadn't been as long for him as the night had been for his brothers. But it was over now, and they were stronger and closer because of it. And that’s really what fraternity was all about as far as Dave Rossi was concerned.

***

She hammered away at the keyboard. It was a 10-20 page paper on Marxist Theory for her senior Political Science seminar. She chose to compare and contrast Marxism, Leninism, and Stalinism. Nora spent the entire semester researching what she wanted to write. She was a perfectionist; it was important that it be done right. She knew she was capable of getting an A in this class.

Nothing less would be good enough. She loved doing the research and writing even if the last week had been nothing but late nights at the library. She wasn’t there alone, plenty of students were studying. Nora could think of better reasons to stay up late. One of those reasons came up behind her and massaged her shoulders.

“Mmm,” her fingers stopped moving across the keys. “That feels nice.”

“You're tense.” Jason bent to kiss the top of her hair. He loved her natural hair, chestnut brown locks with a few dyed blonde ones for show. She was so damn beautiful; she left him breathless.

“I'm busy.”

“You have that paper, and this class, in the bag. Never underestimate your brilliance.”

“I don’t.” she replied laughing. “No Jason, seriously, I just work really hard.”

“I know that you do.” he kept massaging, moving his fingers over the nape of her neck. “You're a dedicated student…I think you need a break.”

“We've only been here for…” Nora looked at her watch. “Oh my God, has it really been almost four hours?”

“Yes. We came over after we ate and now its nine thirty. We both need a break. I've learned everything I'm going to learn tonight about Martin Luther.”

“I didn’t mean to keep you for so long.” She looked up at him. Jason kissed her. He liked it so much that he did it twice.

“I got distracted by the books as well. Now I'm thinking of something else entirely.”

“Really?” Nora pushed back the chair, swiveled around, and let Jason pull her up. She slipped her arms around him. “Tell me what's on your mind.”

“I'm thinking about a little alone time. I'm thinking about you and me.”

“With or without clothes?” she asked.

It had been just over two weeks since the Halloween party. Jason and Nora were officially a couple. It was like they always had been. The moment the barrier fell there was nothing that would keep them apart. Words didn’t need to be said.

He wished he wouldn’t have said them two years ago. Jason hated thinking of all the wasted time and missed opportunities. There were nicer things to focus on, like the smell of her skin. Nora wore a v-neck sweater today; he moved his nose over her throat and she shivered.

“Ladies choice.”

She kissed him. It was wildly inappropriate behavior for the library but at least they were in a private study room. Some crazy things probably went on in these rooms but that wasn’t their plan. They could go back to her place or the frat house to get romantic. Her place was better.

“I need to use the men’s room.” he whispered, kissing her ear.

“While you do that I’ll pack up.”

“Alright.”

Jason moved out of her arms. He took both of Nora’s hands, brushing his lips across her knuckles.

“What?” she asked. “You have this look on your face.”

“What kind of look?” he asked.

“I'm not entirely sure…enthralled.”

“That sounds about right. I feel like I have so much time to make up for.”

“You don’t have to do anything of the sort, Jason.”

“We've got Thanksgiving break next week, three weeks of classes, then Christmas break. After that it’s only one more semester until…”

“You're off to the FBI Academy and I start my graduate courses at GW.” Nora replied. “Well, I hope to. I'm still pacing as I wait for my acceptance letter.”

“You're staying in DC?” he couldn’t help the hope in his voice.

“That was my plan.” She smiled. “Go to the bathroom; we have time to talk.”

“Right, OK; I'm going.”

She laughed as Jason rushed out of the room. He couldn’t believe his luck. If she stayed in DC then they could be together. Jason lay awake at night thinking about the fact that he and Nora had such a small window of time to be together. It wasn’t enough and that was no one’s fault but his. He didn’t want to let Nora go, even after two weeks he knew that.

Maybe that was why he kept quiet for two years…her gravity was so strong. Jason was helpless against it and helplessness never felt so amazing. Nora was everything he wanted and more. She was beautiful, intelligent, and grounded. The crazy part was she seemed just as smitten with him as he as with her. Knowing there would be more time to explore a relationship that became significant in such a short amount of time had Jason walking on air. His feet hadn't quite touched the ground since Halloween.

***

“It’s getting pretty quiet around here.” Rossi said, coming out on the porch. It was a chilly but beautiful night. Usually you couldn’t see many stars in the capital but the sky was purple and clear tonight. “A lot of the brothers have gone home.”

“Hotch is still here.” Jason replied, moving down on the glider so his friend could sit down. “Morgan is leaving in the morning and so is Sam. Spencer’s coming home with me.”

“Why?”

“His family is really far away. If he didn’t he’d have to stay in the dorms. There are plenty of international students to keep him company but I thought it’d be nice for him to get a home-cooked meal.”

“Your father is going to have a nice long weekend with his brain.”

“You're right.” Jason smiled. “When are you leaving?”

“Erin and I are driving out late Wednesday morning. I'm having Thanksgiving with her family and mine this year. I'm looking forward to a Rossi shindig. A Strauss thing…not so much. They’re having dinner at some fancy restaurant, Jason. Who has Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant?”

“More people than I thought, actually. It’s getting more and more popular.”

“It annoys me.”

“Better get used to it…they’re the in-laws now.”

“I know.” Rossi shook his head. “Erin hasn’t told them that we’re engaged yet.”

“What?’ Jason looked at him and sipped his tea. “Why not?”

“She wants to do it in person. I respect that; I told my old man but no one else yet. We’ll tell everyone in time. She’s showing off the ring to all of her sisters.”

“It’s a beautiful ring.”

“I picked it out myself if you can believe it. I know what she likes.”

“You assessed it?” Jason asked with a smirk.

“Something like that.” Rossi smiled. “How is the lovely Miss Bennett doing?”

“She left for Brooklyn this afternoon. I hardly wanted to let her go, Dave. I'm…”

“Smitten?”

“Yeah.” Jason nodded. “I've only felt like this once before and I remember how it ended. I'm wholly consumed by thoughts of Nora…and Martin Luther.”

“A therapist would love to get their hands on that.” Dave replied.

“Cute. I don't know; it’s wonderful and overwhelming all in the same breath. I wouldn’t give it up for all the tea in China.”

“And I know how much you enjoy your tea. Ain't love grand?”

“Sometimes I really think it might be. Speaking of, is Erin going to stay here for grad school?”

“As long as she gets in, which I don’t think she needs to worry about. We’re together now…it’s all worked out. I'm going into the Academy, she’ll study at American, and we’ll get married after graduation.”

“How does it feel to have it all wrapped up with a bow?” Jason asked.

“Honestly?”

“Of course.”

“It’s deeply, deeply terrifying. But I love her and I want to be an agent. We’re gonna work it all out.”

“I have your back.” Jason put his hand on his shoulder.

“You better. I'm gonna need somebody to keep me sane. You're the sanest person I know.”

“Hmm, you might want to rethink that.”

“You better be joking.” Dave said.

“I am.” Jason deadpanned. A small smile flashed across his normally serious face.

“I don’t know about you sometimes, Gideon. That’s part of the reason I like you so much.”

“Ditto, David Rossi.”

***

“What are your plans?”

“I don’t really have any.”

“What do you mean you don’t have any? What about your parents?”

“My mother and stepfather decided to go away this year. I told them I would be fine.”

“You cannot spend Thanksgiving alone.” Emily reasoned.

“I’ll be fine. The quiet will be nice for a change. I’ll stay home, make a turkey sandwich, watch football, and have time to study.”

“No.” she shook her head. “You cannot spend Thanksgiving alone.”

“How many times are you gonna say that, Em?” he asked.

“I’ll say it until you hear me.”

“I hear you. I just don’t see what the big deal is.”

It was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Hotch and Emily met up at Mickey’s for some down time. There were classes tomorrow and he would probably go to his two before heading home to Richmond. Tonight though, he was quite content being with her. They shared a big basket of seasoned fries and drank beer.

They put five bucks in the jukebox and sang along to The Traveling Wilburys and Bob Dylan. They discussed how they were feeling about classes as they entered the final stretch of the fall semester of their junior years. Now they were talking about the holiday. Hotch wanted to stop talking about the holiday but he didn’t know how to get out of it. He should've kept the alone thing to himself.

“You're coming with me.” Emily said.

“Emily…”

“Don’t even bother to argue…you'll lose.”

“Why don’t I doubt this?” Hotch rolled his eyes. “I don't need you taking pity on me. I appreciate it but I don’t need it.”

“Do you ski, Hotch?” she asked as if he hadn't said a word.

“No.” he shook his head.

“Good, you'll fit in perfectly. Just come with me; I promise it'll be fun.”

“Where are you going?” he asked, giving in a bit. He didn’t want to admit that he’d love to spend the holiday with Emily. They were still just friends and planned to keep it that way for the time being. Neither knew how long ‘the time being’ was.

“Well the plan was originally Aspen, my Aunt and Uncle have a house there for winter getaways. But then my Uncle got called to Toronto for a two year assignment with the firm he works for so my parents decided to go there for the holidays. You’ll get to meet my older sister.”

“I thought your parents were divorced.” Hotch said.

“I meant my Dad and stepmother, Natalie. Mother will surely be traveling somewhere for something with the widowed Senator she keeps insisting that she’s just friends with. I may get to see her over Christmas break. It’s for the best anyway; I prefer a low key holiday. I think my family will love you…surely better than the last guy I brought home. He had a motorcycle and some tats.”

“I don’t have any of those.”

“I know you don’t.” she grinned as she reached over to poke his chest. “Will you just come with me so you won't have to be alone? I don’t want you maxing out on the couch with a turkey sandwich feeling lonely. Wouldn’t you rather play Trivial Pursuit, take walks through lovely neighborhoods, and totally avoid awkward conversation about being my boyfriend?”

“Well when you put it like that, it’s hard to say no.”

“Are you being facetious?” Emily asked, smiling as she finished her beer. She flagged the barmaid for another.

“Yep.” Hotch nodded, showing his dimples.

“I promise it won't be torturous…much.”

“You don’t have to keep convincing me, Emily, I’ll come.”

“You will?” she squeezed his hand. “Oh good; we’ll have a blast.”

Hotch knew that they would. He looked forward to spending the time with Emily and getting to know her family. He’d been doing a great job, or so he thought, of just being a friend. But they’d spent more and more time together since Halloween. They weren't doing anything, at least not like that, just being friends. He liked being friends with her…it was hard not to like Emily.

She brought him out of his self-imposed exile. He’d been there so long that Hotch couldn’t even figure out why. Bad things happened during his childhood; he cut himself off from people and feelings. Some got through, like Morgan, Sam, Gideon, and Rossi. Some he managed to be cool with like his brothers and people who knew from classes. But Emily was different.

It wasn’t just the potential of being her boyfriend. It was the knowledge that he could feel such attraction to someone and they could possibly feel the same. It was about knowing love, in many different forms, didn’t always have to be painful or even abusive. It was seeing that no one was perfect and for some it was a daily struggle to choose good over easy.

“How will we get to Toronto?’ Hotch asked, letting it sink in that they were going together.

“My dad chartered a private plane. My sister’s taking the train down from New York; she’s in graduate school at Columbia. The flight is less than 2 hours. You’re not afraid to fly, are you?”

“No. I hope to be able to travel all over the world one day.”

“It’s not as snazzy as you think.” Emily replied, drinking some of the new beer in front of her.

“Well, I’ll be doing it because I want to. I think it should be different then.”

“That’s true. I like the idea of traveling too. There’s this part of me that wants to do nothing more than settle down behind a white picket fence with a couple of rugrats and a dog that sheds too much. I’d work a nine to five or ten to six, come home in time for dinner, read stories, do laundry, have mediocre sex, and just be. Then there's this other part of me…”

“What does she want to do?”

“Live, live, live!” Emily threw up her arms and laughed. “I'm trying to get a big pot, mix them together, and see what I come up with. I have to tell you though; I'm not the world’s best cook.”

“People can't be one-dimensional.” Hotch replied. “We’re all made up of different ingredients and experiences that can make us a little bit of everything. You won't be the same person you were at seven at seventeen or at thirty seven that you were at twenty seven.”

“Let us pray.” Emily said.

“I think you're gonna be just fine. And when you don’t believe it, I’ll tell you again. Remember how you said you’d say it until I heard you?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll do the same.” he said.

“You want that responsibility?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“You're crazy Aaron Hotchner.” She said it in that tone but Emily was smiling.

He was crazy alright, crazy about her. That might make him just plain crazy but Hotch didn’t know and didn’t really care. He was happy and there weren't many times in his life he could truly say that. It probably wasn’t the best idea to let someone else be the cause of your happiness, Hotch knew that, but it was a good start.

Through Emily he was learning about himself and thought she was doing the same through him. They were growing as individuals and maybe together as well. Whatever happened, he knew this was a good thing for him. And Hotch was tired of not indulging in the good things. Thanksgiving was right around the corner; this year he had many things to be thankful for.

***


End file.
